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More than 800 people forced to evacuate Calgary Drop-In Centre due to fire scare

The Calgary Drop-In Centre was evacuated after a fire scare on Monday, Dec. 30, 2019. Global News

Hundreds of people were allowed back inside the Calgary Drop-In Centre after a fire scare early Monday morning.

The Calgary Fire Department said more than 800 people were forced to evacuate the downtown building at around 2:30 a.m. after smoke alarms went off.

Calgary Transit buses provided shelter from the cold, the CFD said.

READ MORE: Calgary Fire Chief looks ahead to 2020 after challenging year

Crews arrived to find smoke on the top three floors of the building.

“[The investigation team] went up to the fourth floor and found no smoke,” said CFD Central District Chief Innes Fraser.
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“As they progressed through the building, they found heavier and heavier smoke on floors five, six and seven.”

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No fire was found, officials said.

EMS said two men were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Hundreds of people left the Calgary Drop-In Centre after a fire scare early on Monday, Dec. 30, 2019. Global News

The CFD said the smoke came from a malfunctioning heating unit.

“There was an HVAC unit on the roof that needed some maintenance and was blowing smoke into the building,” Fraser said.

That unit was removed and the building was ventilated, the CFD said.

Fraser called it a unique situation that involved also almost all of the District 1 police division on scene.

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