One person is dead following a fire that broke out at a three-storey apartment building in the northwest community of Bowness.
The Calgary Fire Department tells Global News the call came in around 5:07 a.m. for reports of smoke coming from a basement at 4304 73 St. NW. The battalion chief said additional fire trucks and crew were called to the scene due to the size of the three-storey unit and where the fire was located.
One 73-year-old man was confirmed dead by firefighters.
People from the home along with others who lived adjacent to the house were evacuated.
“I woke up to my dogs barking, so I looked out the window and I saw the flames coming out of the side and the back of the house there,” neighbour Patricia Burton said.
“(The smoke) was billowing up pretty good.”
“We did call two alarms to this scene because of the size of the occupancy and because of the complexity of the structure,” CFD battalion chief Keith Stahl said. “It gave us a few additional resources so we could mount those initial attacks and get the fire under control.”
Firefighters had the fire under control at around 5:30 a.m.
Neighbours said the man was often seen walking around the neighbourhood, an opportunity for a chat.
“When we’re out, we just talk and get to know each other and stuff like that,” Bev Bilben said.
Susan Parenteau was sad to learn of her neighbour’s death.
“My husband and I saw him walk up and down the sidewalks there pretty slow,” she said.
“It’s a tragedy.”