Fire ‘like something out of a movie’
At least two units of a city subsidized townhouse complex on the west Mountain were heavily damaged Friday in a fire one resident likened to being “out of a movie.”
More than a half-dozen fire trucks responded to the 66-unit, City Housing-owned complex on Greendale Drive, just off Garth Road, around 3:10 p.m. Crews were met with heavy flames upon arrival at the home, which had no tenants present, said assistant deputy fire chief Ryan Coburn.
The blaze could be seen raging inside the living room of the twostorey unit as thick flames and plumes of smoke billowed out from the roof and shattered windows.
Coburn said the fire was brought under control within a half-hour. No one was injured.
It’s not yet clear what caused the fire, which brought about threedozen nearby residents out from their homes and onto the street.
Tony Grant lives in the unit directly next to where the blaze broke out. He had just come home from work when, within a few short minutes, he heard a knock on the door.
“I ran out and the flames were everywhere,” a dejected Grant told The Spectator at the scene. “It was like something out of a movie. Everything was on fire.”
Grant, who’s lived in the unit with his family for a few years, said he could feel intense heat immediately upon stepping outside. He’s unsure how much damage his townhome sustained, but “guarantees the (connecting) walls are melted.”
“It’s right, right next to it,” he added. “If there wasn’t that knock on the door, I probably could’ve died.”
Firefighters were still dousing hot spots around the blaze as of 6 p.m.
Coburn could not provide damage estimates.