A woman was sent to the hospital after a fire broke out at a southwest apartment building early Wednesday.
The Calgary Fire Department was called to the 3800 block of 19 Avenue SW in the Glendale neighbourhood around 1 a.m.
Crews saw the smoke when they arrived. As people were evacuating the apartment, residents told firefighters that some people were stuck on the fifth floor. Due to mobility issues, fire crews had to carry some of the residents out of the eight-story building.
Firefighters found the fire started in a kitchen area, then spread to other parts of a suite on the fifth floor. A 38-year-old woman was rescued by firefighters and later transported to Foothills hospital by EMS for severe smoke inhalation.
The CFD said there’s extensive damage to the kitchen area inside the suite where the fire originated. Minor damage was also reported to the hallways and adjacent suites from the smoke. As a precaution, firefighters evacuated three floors until air quality was restored with the assistance of Calgary Police.
Roughly 30 people were evacuated from the apartment.
Crews stayed at the scene through the morning extinguishing hot spots and working with investigators to determine the cause of the fire. All systems in the building have been restored and residents have returned to their units.