Residents in west Edmonton were sent scrambling after flames ripped through a four-storey apartment building Thursday morning.
Edmonton fire crews were called to tackle the blaze just after 8 a.m. at Westridge Estates, at 7611 172 St.
Dozens of people were seen frantically shouting from the parking lot as flames shot out from the third-storey suite. Vehicles along 170 Street were pulled over with their hazard lights blinking allowing fire crews to pass.
At least eight fire trucks were on scene battling the blaze. Police were also called in to contain the area. Visuals show flames reaching the roof of the building as firefighters doused the roof with water.
A four-year resident in the adjacent building, Irene Henley, said she heard her American Eskimo dog Amiga howling when the fire broke out.
“I heard the alarm and I wasn’t moving because they put a sign up saying that they were fixing the alarm system from the 13th to the 17th,” said Henley. “But the dog was howling so I went onto my balcony and my neighbour said ‘Irene! It’s a real fire! Get out!'”
Henley said she saw a shirtless man walking around after he appeared to jump from a third-storey balcony.
Kerry Upright said she was alone in her suite on the third floor right next door to the suite where the fire started. She said she heard someone yelling from her balcony, “I heard a man screaming ‘get out of the building.'”
Fire officials said two people were transported to hospital but no was was seriously hurt in the blaze.
with files from Nicole Bergot
More to come…
Fire crews battling a blaze at Westridge Estates, at 7611 172 St. in west Edmonton, on Thursday, February 16, 2017. Ian Kucerak/ Postmedia
An Edmonton police officer helps a resident evacuate the scene of an apartment fire at Westridge Estates, at 7611 172 St. in west Edmonton, on Thursday, February 16, 2017.
Fire crews are battling a blaze at Westridge Estates, at 7611 172 St. in west Edmonton, on Thursday, February 16, 2017.
