EDMONTON – Overheated cooking oil sparked a house fire that killed several pets Wednesday evening northeast of downtown, fire officials say.
Edmonton Fire Rescue responded to the blaze at a home on 112th Avenue near 92nd Street around 8:40 p.m., said district fire Chief John Bower.
“The first arriving crew, when they came around the corner, noticed the flames … coming out the back area and also a front attached porch,” Bower said.
Five of the home’s seven residents, including an infant, escaped the flames, he said. There were no reported injuries but the infant was checked by EMS as a precaution, he said.
Eight pets, including three dogs, three birds and a cat, died in the blaze, said Tim Wilson, spokesman for Edmonton Fire Rescue. A bearded dragon, a type of lizard, also died in the blaze. Fire officials initially thought the lizard was a snake.
Two dogs were rescued from the home, along with a bird carried away in a cage.
The fire was contained mainly to the first floor of the two-storey house, and the fire was brought under control in 10 minutes, Bower said.
“(Fire station) No. 5 is actually pretty close, on 112th Avenue. They got on scene pretty quick,” he said.
Some firefighters sprayed water on the smouldering front porch as others pulled scorched debris out of the house through broken windows.
The home sustained extensive damage to the main floor, with heat and smoke damage to the second floor, Wilson said. Damages are pegged at $250,000.
A neighbouring home to the west sustained minor damage to its vinyl siding.
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