One person is dead following a multi-unit residential fire in the southeast, the Calgary Fire Department said.
Around 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Calgary fire crews were called to the 100 block of Deerview Way. Firefighters found smoke showing from the multi-unit complex and called in a second firetruck to handle the blaze.
“When fire crews arrived, there was a lot of smoke and flames coming from the basement of one of the units and actually creating a situation where it wasn’t even safe to go in right away because the structure had been compromised such that firefighters may have even fallen through into the basement. So they needed to attack the fire from the exterior,” CFD public information officer Carol Henke said.
The fire was then brought under control using exterior hose lines and an “elevated master stream” from one of the fire department’s aerial apparatuses.
When firefighters were able to get inside the home, they located a deceased man. Crews then waited for the arrival of the medical examiner.
Calgary fire said the blaze was largely contained to the main unit with heavy heat and smoke damage to that area, while damage to other units was minimal.
Henke said it’s still unknown whether there were working smoke alarms in the home or if the fire caused the individual’s death.
She noted that residents of other units in the building escaped themselves.
As of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, Calgary police were helping with traffic control in the area while firefighters were still putting out hot spots.
Both the fire and police departments are investigating the fatal blaze.
“Any time there is a fatality, serious injury or a large dollar loss, we work together with our colleagues in CPS – so the arson detectives do arrive,” Henke said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s suspicious, but just because of the extent of injuries or damage.”
–with files from Adam Toy, Global News
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