Firefighters were trying to bring a house fire in north Edmonton under control Thursday afternoon.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services received multiple calls about a house fire near 124 Avenue and 90 Street at about 1:45 p.m.
When crews arrived on scene a few minutes later, they found a house that was engulfed in flames.
Seven fire units were working on the blaze as of 2:30 p.m.
“There was a lady that just came home and she entered and was engulfed by black smoke,” Fire Chief Todd Weiss said. “Right now, she’s being attended to by ambulance.”
She was treated and released, Weiss said.
Another person, who lived in the basement, wasn’t home at the time.
Watch below: Fire crews were called to a house fire in north Edmonton on Thursday afternoon.
Motorists along Yellowhead Trail noticed thick plumes of smoke drifting across the road and obscuring visibility.
The cold weather and a large hole inside the house made it challenging for the crew to fight the fire.
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“They’re having a little bit of trouble extinguishing the last remnants of fire in the living room,” Weiss said.
There was extensive damage to the main floor and to the basement.
“At this time we don’t know if it started in the living room or the basement,” Weiss said. “With the hole – the five-foot hole – in the house, it makes things more difficult. It’ll make it more difficult for investigators to determine cause because you lose some evidence.”
View photos from the fire in the gallery below.