Fire crews were battling a large apartment fire in Eastwood in north Edmonton on Saturday afternoon.
The fire lit up a building on 82 Street and 119 Avenue at around 2:58 p.m.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said they received multiple calls about the fire and that flames were showing from the third floor.
Crews arrived at 3:03 p.m. to find a unit and its balcony fully involved in flames, EFRS said.
“From the looks of it, when we pulled up, it possibly started on the exterior, got up into the eaves of the building, then the wind just basically drove it and it got into the soffits,” said fire Captain Shaun Walsh.
The fire quickly spread through the top floor of the building and a second-alarm fire was called, requesting additional fire crews at the scene for support.
“Everyone was evacuated rather quickly,” Walsh said. “There were no injuries.
“Some bystanders said they went in to pull the alarms,” he added. “It was an exterior fire and sometimes the alarms don’t sound right off the bat.
“Great job by the neighbourhood to look out for one another,” he said.
Between 20 and 30 residents have been displaced and are being helped by the Emergency Support Response Team.
The Edmonton Police Service said officers were assisting with traffic control and helping residents evacuate from the neighbourhood.
EFRS said the fire was brought under control at 4:21 p.m. and declared out at 7:56 p.m.
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire was determined to be smoking materials on a balcony. Total damages are estimated to be $2.5 million.
— With files from Meaghan Archer, Global News
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