Massive blaze forces 400 from their homes in Edmonton
Posted Jul 21, 2014 6:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There was a scary wake up call for 400 residents in an Edmonton condo building early Monday morning, when they were forced from their homes following a massive two-alarm blaze.
It happened around 1:30a.m., in the Hamptons neighbourhood on 199th Street near 45th Avenue.
It took almost two hours for fire crews to get the blaze under control.
CityNews Cameraman Gavin Thomas said damage is extensive.
“The top of the roof is pretty charred. It seems like it started on the fourth floor,” he said. “Thank God the wind wasn’t blowing in a certain direction; it had been raining out but most of the top floor has been charred and the rest of it appears to be water damage.”
It’s still unclear as to what could have sparked the fire.
There doesn’t appear to have been any injuries, however, an elderly man was taken to hospital as a precaution.
First responders are now searching for people’s valuables, pets as well as monitoring for hot spots.
“Of the few people I talked to, one guy had this happen to him before at a condo in St. Albert,” Thomas said. “He looked out his balcony and saw it creep across the fourth floor and decided to get out of there.”
Another man was concerned about his fiancée’s wedding dress and was hoping it wasn’t damaged.
Neighbours and a local church have opened up their doors to house some of the displaced; city transit and the Red Cross are also on scene helping victims.
The neighbourhood is a fairly new one in Edmonton and despite residents being shaken up; Thomas said most were happy that everyone made it out alive.
