Many residents in southeast Calgary and surrounding areas were awakened by an explosion at a rural property outside the city Thursday morning. Reports from viewers indicate the incident in Foothills County, near Okotoks, began shortly after 7:10 a.m. Those included photos and video of a fire at a rural property near Heritage Heights School. The Calgary Fire Department said a crew was dispatched from the Seton fire station, the closest one in Calgary, to investigate. “They confirmed the fire is outside of the city so we were cancelled,” said CFD public information officer Alex Kwan in an email to CTV News, who confirmed the Foothills County fire department responded. “They’re on scene and do not require our assistance at this time,” he said. Ron Tarrant, who lives in Heritage Pointe, a community in Foothills County, told CTV News on Thursday that he was awoken by the explosion. “I was literally thrown out of bed by what felt like a bomb going off by our house, so I jumped in the car and realized that a house half a mile away from us had just completely exploded.” Officials have not confirmed the cause of the fire or explosion, but it’s believed that no one was hurt. School closed Thursday Administrators of Heritage Heights School, located close to the fire scene, said the facility would be closed for the day “out of an abundance of caution.” All students who arrived at the building via bus were taken to École Percy Pegler in Okotoks, staff said. “Parents can pick up their students from École Percy Pegler when able during the school day. The school staff can be contacted by phone at (403) 938-4449,” Heritage Heights School said on its website. “We will provide updates when we are able.” CTV News has a crew at the scene to gather details about the incident. This is a developing story. More details are expected to come...
