Residents of a rural residential area of west Edmonton have raised concerns over a lack of fire hydrants in the area after a home was destroyed in a blaze Wednesday night.
More than $1 million in damage was done to the home in the area of 230 Street and 122 Avenue. Fire crews were called to the blaze at around 8:30 p.m.
Jose Goncalves, the owner of the house, arrived home about 10 minutes earlier. He said he parked his car in the garage and went into the house.
Jose could smell smoke but didn’t know where it was coming from. He went back to the door connecting the house to the garage and could see smoke.
“I tried to open a little bit the garage door and the smoke comes right away to me. I only had time to pick my boots and my jacket and that’s it.”
He made his way out of the house, a place he called home for nearly 20 years, with only the clothes he was wearing. Everything else was destroyed.
“The house was in flames in seconds. Couple minutes it was going up,” he said.
“We lost everything,” he added, holding back tears. “One complete life gone. I had my jacket and my pants with me, that’s it. The rest – gone.”
READ MORE: Over $1M in damage after fire destroys rural northwest Edmonton home
The house is within city limits but located in a rural subdivision without hydrant service. Fire crews were forced to truck in water with tankers.
“By the time they got enough water to try and fight the fire, the house was three-quarters engulfed in flames,” said Manuel Goncalves, Jose’s son. “They were in -22 C weather temperature. They did a fantastic job. I think if there had been a fire hydrant close by it would have made their job easier, definitely.”
Manuel said he and his father’s neighbours have had discussions about the lack of hydrants.
“It’s very difficult. It’s always a question between taxes and what you provide your residents and what you bring in. I think definitely when you’ve got enough homes, as you can see in this area – and they are fairly expensive homes – there certainly should be more done in terms of preventing fire or fighting a fire.”
Edmonton fire officials said a lack of hydrants was not an issue Wednesday night. Platoon Chief Dwayne Smith with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said three tankers were called to the scene, providing 7,000 gallons of water.
Watch below: Fire crews respond to a large house fire in a remote area of northwest Edmonton Wednesday night
There are several neighbourhoods in Edmonton without hydrant service. City Coun. Andrew Knack said the majority of these areas were annexed by the city in 80s and weren’t developed to Edmonton’s standards.
Knack said he spoke with Edmonton Fire Chief Ken Block Thursday morning who assured him there is a process in place to ensure areas without hydrants can get the water needed to fight fires in a timely fashion.
“They have identified all of these areas. They have a matrix of where they need to have tankers that can bring the water necessary to fight fires,” he said.
“As soon as a call comes in, they’ve got it mapped out. They know when a call comes in from a non-hydranted area and the tanker comes out as part of the regular crew.”
The city recently approved a new neighbourhood next to the subdivision where Wednesday night’s house fire occurred and it will have hydrant service.
“I think at that time it may be worth a discussion to say, ‘once the services are there from the new developments, what would the cost be to the city then to tap into that existing service and bring it in?'” Knack asked.
Jose Goncalves will stay with his sons while he decides if he will rebuild his home. The family said, while devastating, the situation could have been much worse.
“He’s got his health. He’s got us. So it could have been so much worse,” Manuel said. “We are very thankful for that.”
“I have God now looking out for me,” added Jose.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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