A fire June 17 destroyed a large home in the Bearspaw community of Watermark, according to Rocky View County Fire Services (RVCFS) Fire Chief Randy Smith.
“Shortly after 7 p.m., we received a call of a house fire at 102 Hillside Terrace. The crews from our Bearspaw station responded as well as from the Springbank and Elbow Valley stations,” he said. “The response time was about 10 minutes – not too bad given the distance and the location.”
Smith said upon arrival crews found a very large home fully engulfed in flames.
“Their main focus when they’re faced with that kind of situation is to protect the exposures – not to have two or three houses burn down,” he said. “There was some damage to the house next door but they basically saved it.
“(The houses) are fairly close together. You’ll have radiant heat and there was some damage to the soffit and the glass windows, but other than that the guys were able to do a good job of protecting the house.”
According to Smith, the neighbourhood is equipped with fire hydrants making the firefighters’ jobs easier.
“The water co-op people – it’s a private system – were there on scene assisting fire services so that was really nice to make sure that the system was working properly,” he said. “Wind was not a big issue.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although Smith said early indications are that it started in the attached garage.
“There was one person at home at the time of the fire. He smelled smoke (and) came down (the stairs),” he said. “It appears the fire may have started in the garage area. The insurance people have brought in their own investigators.”
Smith said the damage is estimated to be in excess of $1 million.
There were no injuries to the resident or any of the firefighters, according to Smith.
A total of two engines, three water tenders and 15 firefighters were on scene.
