A two-storey house on Red Deer’s south side suffered smoke and fire damage after a blaze erupted when no one was home on Wednesday.
Red Deer Emergency Services received a 911 call from a security alarm company reporting a fire alarm was set off inside the home on Abraham Close in Anders shortly after 1:20 p.m.
Public information officer Dave Harvey said the fire-medics arrived to see that smoke was coming from the rear of the two-storey walk-up house near the deck area.
Once they got to the rear of the house, they saw flames on the deck and began using water to douse the flames.
The homeowners had arrived by then and unlocked the doors, so the fire-medics could get inside.
Fire-medics then discovered after doing a primary search that the blaze had extended into the basement area below the main floor.
“They observed that the fire had extended into the residence of the main floor of the floor joist area, so that’s where they concentrated their efforts,” said Harvey.
Fire-medics quickly knocked down the blaze outside and inside.
The owner of the house stood by with several neighbours to watch as the firefighters continued to monitor the house for any potential troubles. The response included three engines.
Damage estimates and cause of the fire were not known at press time. It’s uncertain where exactly the fire started, Harvey said.
Fire-medics were still on scene several hours later.
Harvey said the west portion of the deck area was extensively damaged, but due to the smoke and other contaminants he wasn’t able to venture inside.
“Once the house is properly ventilated and testing is done, the fire inspectors will make their way into the house,” said Harvey.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com