One man is in critical condition after a fire started in a home in the 2400 block of 20 Street North Monday evening.
“In the process of initial attack on the fire, (crews) found a male subject and ended up pulling him out of the fire,” said platoon chief Shawn Folk on Tuesday. “(They) got him to an EMS-Alberta Health Services unit right away and they transported that person to the hospital. That person got flown from fixed-wing air up to Edmonton for the hyperbaric chamber.”
On Tuesday, Kris Pickering told Global News his father Ray Pickering was the person injured in the fire.
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A GoFundMe has been set up to cover the family’s costs.
Kris says the family doesn’t know the extent of his father’s injuries, but that he has been placed on life support.
The family adds it appreciates the support it has received.
Crews from four stations responded to the fire at around 6:40 p.m. It was extinguished in roughly 90 minutes as crews fought not only the fire, but also temperatures hovering around -30 degrees.
“Our lines will freeze up because we don’t have antifreeze or anything in there like that, so we just continue to practice keeping those lines cracked. During that process when water’s flowing it’s not a problem,” Folk said.
“We did have to change out our batteries because of the cold weather. It seems to wreak havoc on them.”
As of Tuesday afternoon the property was fenced off and charring was visible on the rear of the building.
Fire investigators have deemed the fire as accidental.
Damage is estimated at half a million dollars.
The fire prevention bureau is reminding residents that space heaters are a temporary source of heat and shouldn’t be left unattended and the area around that kind of appliance should be clear of any combustible materials.