Residents flee as flames destroy homes

Residents who fled several homes took shelter from heat and smoke on city bus

Occupants of several homes managed to scramble to safety before flames consumed at least two homes in the northeast community of Monterey Park on Friday.

About two dozen firefighters battled both flames and record temperatures after responding to the call at Los Alamos Cres. N.E. just after 1 p.m.

“We rotated the crew during the heat; it’s pretty labour intensive when it’s this hot,” said Battalion Chief Harley Spate.

At least one other home appeared to be badly damaged in the blaze, the second residential fire of the day after flames left three people homeless in the 100 block of Chaparral Crescent S.E. in the early morning.

Those who fled the flames on Los Alamos Crescent were given shelter on a Calgary Transit bus as firefighters warned bystanders away from clouds of toxic smoke.

One of them was Nazir Qureni, who was renting a home that went up in flames, but not before he raised the alarm on his cellphone.

“By the time I got off my phone, everybody was completely out. I’m happy my neighbours got out,” said Qureni.

“We can find material to replace, but we can’t save a life once it’s lost.”

He said a neighbour told him the fire might have begun in her garage.

“I looked out at the garage and the fire was shooting from there,” said Qureni, adding he’s now homeless. “I’m on the street, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Nobody was injured in the blaze.

PHOTOS BY LEAH HENNEL Firefighters at the scene of a multiple house fire on Los Alamos Crescent on Friday. About two dozen firefighters battled the flames amid record high temperatures.

A renter in a house that was destroyed by the blaze alerted his neighbours by cellphone after leaving his burning home. Everyone escaped uninjured. The renter said he is now homeless.

A city bus was provided as shelter for residents forced to leave their homes in record heat. No one was injured by the blaze.