Fire crews battle blaze in southeast Edmonton amid frigid temperatures

Firefighters battled bitterly cold temperatures as they responded to a fire at a south Edmonton home early Thursday morning.

At 5:49 a.m., fire crews received the call for a house fire in the area of 35 Avenue and 25 Street in the Wild Rose neighbourhood.

Crews arrived about seven minutes later to find smoke coming from a second-floor bedroom window, district chief Robert Shellnutt said.

“When the crews gained entry to the building, they were looking for a fire in the interior and they were working between the first and the second floor,” he said.

Firefighters manually opened the garage door and could be seen coming and going from the house and garage. A minivan was removed from the garage by fire crews.

At least six fire trucks, the fire investigation truck and an ambulance were on scene at around 7 a.m.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Shellnutt said there were no fire-related injuries reported.

The temperature at 7 a.m. in Edmonton was a frigid -28 C, which proved challenging for firefighters. A warming tent was set up so firefighters could keep warm.

“The cold is definitely challenging,” Shellnutt explained.

“First and foremost, to keep the firefighters safe and then our equipment, to make sure we keep the hoses running, to make sure they don’t freeze for us. Crews did a great job at maintaining water and looking after themselves.”

In total, 18 firefighters were at the scene Thursday morning.

More to come.