Two homes in the Airdrie community of Prairie Springs have been destroyed after an early-morning house fire on Friday.
The Airdrie Fire Department was called to Prairie Springs Hill just before 3 a.m. and found two homes engulfed in flames.
Seven people got out of the homes with the help of RCMP, and no injuries were reported.
Deputy Chief Garth Rabel said two neighbouring homes sustained some minor damage but it could have been much worse.
Darryl Paquette lives just down the street and said he heard several explosions around the time the fire started.
“I was laying in bed and heard some loud bangs. I can’t really explain the sound… I’ve never heard anything like it before,” he said.
“It definitely woke me up out of a dead sleep. I came outside to see what the ruckus was and then I noticed the fire crews down the street.”
What remained of the house where the fire started was knocked down so that investigators could safely examine the scene.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.