A house fire in Calgary’s southeast was quickly doused Thursday afternoon.
Just after 1 p.m., members of the Calgary Fire Department were called to a residence on Rivervalley Drive S.E. for reports of a fire. Three residents and two pets — a dog and a cat — escaped when a smoke alarm went off.
When crews arrived, smoke was visible from outside the home. Firefighters quickly put out the fire in the main floor bedroom.
A subsequent search of the house revealed another resident in a downstairs suite who was unaware of the emergency.
Three people were assessed by EMS and one person who suffered some smoke inhalation refused to be transported to hospital, according to the CFD.
The Red Cross was called to provide temporary supports to the residents of the house.
A fire investigator determined the fire was accidentally caused by smoking materials.
The CFD said this incident is a reminder of the importance of having working smoke alarms.
“When a fire starts, you typically have less than two minutes to safely evacuate,” the CFD said in a news release.