Firefighters were battling a blaze in Sherwood Park on Friday evening.
Flames and smoke could be seen coming out of the roof of the home on Carlyle Crescent at 5:15 p.m.
Several fire crews were on scene trying to extinguish the flames from the two-storey home south of Lakeland Drive, off Clover Bar Road.
Strathcona County fire officials said they were called at 4:56 p.m. Three full fire crews responded to the scene and an ambulance was on standby.
“I responded with the first crew and we could see the black plume of smoke when we left the fire station,” said Devin Capcara, deputy chief of operations with Strathcona County Emergency Services.
When crews arrived on scene, the garage was fully involved and the flames had spread to the front of the house and the attic.
“We initiated a defensive attack, so we attacked the house with our big water lines from the exterior and we were able to get the fire under control just after 5:30 p.m.,” Capcara explained.
Everyone inside managed to get out safely.
However, the family won’t be able to return to their home since it sustained water and smoke damage.
“Our biggest concern is making sure that everybody is safe and everybody is out of the house. Beyond that, it’s controlling the traffic, controlling the people, getting the water supply established as quickly as we can and protecting the exposures,” Capcara said.
“The houses around here are pretty close together so we wanted to make sure we keep it to a single house that’s damaged and not multiple houses.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“We’re suspecting it started in the garage just from the burn pattern,” Capcara said. “But it’s preliminary so we can’t give you any real cause.”
— More to come…