A northwest Calgary neighbourhood was left shaken after a house fire sent flames shooting above a two-storey home, damaged two neighbouring properties and forced several families to evacuate Wednesday night. Calgary Fire Department crews responded to the 100 block of Hawhill Place N.W. around 10:15 p.m. after receiving multiple calls about the fire, which neighbours said was accompanied by a series of loud bangs. The fire spread to two neighbouring homes before crews were able to bring it under control. No injuries have been reported, and the exact cause remains under investigation. “The fire appears to have started in the garage area of the home and when our crews arrived it was a working fire that extended out to the second floor windows of the two-storey home,” said Calgary Fire Department information officer Alex Kwan. “So, we hooked up our hose lines into the cul-de-sac here, got our primary engine and set up a ladder truck behind it.” Following a significant exterior attack with hoses, crews were able to stop flames from spreading. Some off-duty firefighters who live in the neighbourhood were also able to respond and assist neighbours, while a Calgary Transit bus provided shelter to those in need. Kwan noted that one person was inside the original home where the fire started at the time but was able to escape thanks to working smoke detectors. “Because they heard the smoke alarm, they came downstairs and then saw the flames, and then they got themselves out safely,” he said. “So, again, that’s why we always message how important working smoke alarms are because they’re absolutely critical to alerting people as early as possible and saving lives.” Residents of three homes were displaced and found other places to stay overnight, with some potentially facing a longer-term displacement. Neighbour describes escape from home Landon Kuhn, who lives next door to the home that caught fire, said he and his wife were getting ready for bed while their son was already asleep when they heard a loud pop. After hearing more popping sounds, Kuhn looked out a window near his son’s bedroom and saw flames. “I just knew right away we had to get out of the house,” Kuhn said. He told his wife to call 911 before heading to the front door to grab clothes for his son. When he reached the front of the house, he saw flames and smoke coming out of the door, along with more popping sounds. Kuhn said the family escaped through the back door, climbed a neighbour’s fence with their two dogs and eventually got a ride to safety around the corner. “All I could think in the moment was just not to grab anything we didn’t need and just go,” he said. Kuhn’s home sustained damage, including burned siding, while his truck was severely damaged. Despite the frightening experience, he praised the firefighters who responded. “They were on the ball. They were really dialed in,” Kuhn said. 17 emergency vehicles Derek Rickett, who lives nearby, said he went outside after hearing what sounded like large crashes and popping noises. He ran to neighbouring homes to alert residents, grabbed garden hoses and jumped a fence to try to help contain the fire before firefighters arrived. Rickett said the hoses were of limited use, but he used them to spray trees, grass and bushes to help prevent the fire from spreading into neighbouring yards. “The fire was just so intense, like, you could see everything melting, all of the vinyl siding and everything,” he said. “The house burned super quick. It was unbelievable, actually.” Rickett estimated he counted 17 emergency vehicles at the scene, including a ladder truck spraying water onto the burning home. He said firefighters arrived quickly and began tackling the blaze while neighbours worked to make sure everyone was out safely. Kathleen Chan, who lives across the street, said she also heard about five loud bangs while sitting at her dining room table before going outside to investigate. “I didn’t know what it was but it honestly sounded like gunshots, so I came outside to check,” Chan said. She was shocked to see the flames coming from the garage side of the home right across the street from her, rising above the roofline. “The enormity of the flames was just insane, they were shooting up so high into the sky,” Chan said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Seriously.” Chan said she was concerned about the possibility of the fire spreading, particularly after noticing ash and cinders blowing across the cul-de-sac toward nearby trees. She also pointed to a garbage bin that had been melted and displaced by the incident. “The bin blew all the way across the street and onto my front lawn.” “I think there must have been some something in that garage, like not just flammable, but something seriously explosive.” Fire investigators examining garage Kwan said the fire originated at the home where the blaze began, with the garage area appearing to be the point of origin. A vehicle was inside the garage, and investigators were examining what remained of the area Thursday morning. “It’s a total loss,” said Kwan “Our fire crews weren’t able to do a search of the entire home, but some parts are unsafe just because of the risk of collapse. A lot of the water is now coming down through the second floor, just from the amount of water we had to put through our water tower.” Two fire investigators were on scene Thursday morning, working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. The person living in the home where the fire started also reported having cats inside the home, but firefighters had not been able to locate them. Anyone who spots the missing cats is asked to report the sighting to 311.
