One person was treated with minor injuries after a fire broke out in a Red Deer resident’s garage on Monday.
Red Deer Emergency Services crews were called to a trailer on Norby Crescent in the north end just shortly after 11 a.m.
Crews found a shed fully engulfed in fire, said Deputy Fire Chief Bart Rowland.
Rowland said there was also “black smoke coming out of the vents” in the small home.
Two propane tanks in the garage exploded soon after crews arrived.
According to Rowland, four people were in the house at the time of the blaze but all escaped with only one needing medical assistance. That person was later released on the scene.
There were also a number of pets in the residence, some of which were accounted for, including one dog and two cats.
Two other cats did not survive.
The fire was accidental, said fire investigator Steve Gailloux, and was started by one of the occupants of the trailer who was working on a vehicle in his garage.
“Some fuel ignited and he got out of there right away, though he did suffer some minor burns, but he got his daughter, son and granddaughter out of the house . . . . His wife was at work,” Gallioux said.
The Red Cross has stepped in to help the victims with emergency food, accommodation, clothing and personal medical supplies for the next 72 hours.
The garage and shed in the back yard were completely destroyed and a neighbour’s car and RV also suffered damages, as did siding on neighbours’ homes.
About nine metres of the back portion of the trailer is also destroyed but the front part “might be restorable,” Gallioux said.
The building was insured and Gallioux estimates the damages total around $140,000.
The fire spread quickly to the shed and trailer due to proximity as the garage was barely three metres away, Gallioux said.
“It got so hot that the fire actually burnt up the paint on one of the transformers across the alley,” he said.
Neighbour Rachel Pattimore said she heard a bang around 10:50 a.m.
“My windows rattled a little so I looked out to see what it was and saw smoke,” she said. “A guy in an SUV had already called 911 so I went next door to tell the other neighbours.”
Pattimore said they saw flames “shooting up the tree” at the back of the affected property.
rfrancoeur@www.reddeeradvocate.com