The cause of Tuesday's house fire in Hillcrest is still under investigation, according to Airdrie Fire Department officials.
Deputy Chief Garth Rabel acknowledged the Hillcrest Terrace blaze was an "aggressive residential fire" that also damaged some neighbouring homes' exteriors.
"Right now, our fire prevention bureau remains on scene," he said in an interview on Wednesday afternoon. "They started their in-depth investigation this morning and that will continue for the better part of today, for sure. Security remains on site. They have the area temporarily cordoned off to ensure safety to the community.
“Homes on either side of the fire scene definitely received exterior damage. And due to the extreme heat at the time of the fire, there was also some exterior damage to homes and property directly behind where the fire occurred.”
While multiple houses were damaged as a result of the fire, Rabel said it was positive that no one was injured in the unfortunate incident.
“We accounted for everyone in the immediate area. As mentioned, the mother, three children and two dogs were not home at the time of the incident,” he said.
The owner of the home that burned down came forward on social media to identify the house as his.
"Life throws you a curve ball sometimes," wrote Jeremy Wilson in a Facebook post that linked to news coverage of the fire. "Today, this is ours. Nobody was home and that means we can figure this out as a family. At the moment, we’re in Red Crosses care and I’m making my way down from work. I appreciate the outpouring of support but at the moment, we have no needs outside of me rejoining my wife and kids."
(Wilson provided AirdrieToday permission to publish the comment).
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support families that are impacted by the blaze. As of 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the fundraiser has generated nearly $1,900 toward a goal of $5,000.
Public safety
During firefighters' efforts on Tuesday, many members of the community gathered around Hillcrest to watch the firefighting operation.
Rabel said it is typical during such incidents for curious bystanders to gather and watch from afar. To keep the public safe, he said firefighting crews will always cordon off a large perimeter to give firefighters room to do their jobs. At the same time, police will divert traffic away from the area to make room for incoming first responders and health professionals who come to assist.
“People are drawn to it, primarily to try and offer assistance and provide support," Rabel said. “At the same time, when fire crews come in, police come in, [municipal enforcement], and Alberta Health Services come in to support the operational work that is going on, the fewer people and distractions we have in the immediate area, the better."
Additionally, Rabel noted in the case of a large fire such as the one in Hillcrest on Tuesday, the burning of combustibles and plastics can cause negative health impacts to people who are standing downwind, which is another reason police officials will encourage people to stay away from a firefighting scene.
“With this call specifically, I was trying to move people myself [because] standing downwind of burning combustibles, plastics, building materials, insulation – that’s not clean air," he said. “You’ll notice our teams were on self-contained breathing apparatuses and other first responders were [wearing] a minimum of face masks.
“When people come up to look at what’s going on and put themselves inadvertently in harm’s way, that’s not the best idea. We provide direction to clear the scene, tape it off, and allow our firefighters and first responders room to safely work. Then we’ll speak to what’s occurring when everything is safe and it’s timely to do so.”
