Fire investigators were rummaging through the burned remains of a west side Lethbridge home on Monday after it went up in flames Saturday night.
Firefighters dealt with flames as high as 40 feet at the house on Lafayette Boulevard West when they arrived just before 9 p.m.
Crews got a handle on the fire within an hour but were still cooling down hot spots on Sunday.
Teams also secured the roof on Sunday, noting it was unstable.
Firefighters were able to enter the house for the first time on Monday.
Investigators are unsure what started the blaze but don’t believe it is suspicious.
“In the process that we do, we’ll be taking most of the belongings — or most of the debris and everything you see in the garage and in the home behind us – we’ll be taking that out to give a thorough examination,” Fire Prevention Officer Adam Saturley said.
“It’s going to take quite some time… there is extensive damage.”
All five residents who live in the home were able to escape safely.
One of them suffered minor injuries trying to put out the fire and was treated by first responders.
Neighbours reported hearing explosions.
Officials have yet to confirm the explosions but said there were propane tanks and an ATV in the garage.
Investigators aren’t saying where the fire originated but crews believe it was in the garage.
Officials said there is at least $300,000 in damage and expect the investigation to go on for the next few days.
Comments