Three people hurt in fire at southwest townhouse
Three people were taken to hospital, one in critical condition and two others with non-life threatening injuries, following a fire in a townhouse complex in southwest Edmonton Monday.
The blaze is believed to have begun around 1 p.m. at the Featherstone Village near 23 Avenue and 119 Street in the community of Blue Quill.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, police, paramedics, and crews from Atco were all on scene shortly before 2 p.m.
“We had a fire in the suite on the first floor that spread to the second floor,” said District 3 Chief Ed Pitman.
“(It started) somewhere in the area of the balcony and the patio. The fire did spread into the suite. When we arrived we had lots of smoke, visible flames and some really panicked people. There was a person trapped in the suite.”
Pitman said the fire was under control shortly after crews arrived.
Nicole Denman, a resident of the building, said she could smell something resembling oven cleaner before she was evacuated.
The complex is comprised of a number of three-storey buildings. Extensive damage could be seen to one building, particularly a unit on the first floor where the fire is believed to have begun on the balcony. Burn damage extended up to the second and third storeys. Firefighters were seen working on a third-floor balcony.
No cause has been determined yet but Pitman said it is not suspicious.
There was no immediate estimate for damages.