A woman and her cat escaped uninjured when fire badly damaged a Westlake home Tuesday afternoon.
Red Deer Emergency Services received the call about 1:20 p.m. that a Wade Close home was burning.
“Neighbours called it in, called 911, and we arrived to do a quick knockdown on the fire,” said assistant deputy chief Damian LaGrange.
The fire was contained mostly to the roof, where the flames had eaten through much of the structure at the rear of the home.
“It looks like the fire may have started at the back of the structure,” said LaGrange, adding it appears to have started outside.
It was too early to make an accurate damage estimate.
“It’s significant, for sure.”
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A neighbour said he was mowing his lawn when he saw smoke.
“I looked up and seen the cloud of smoke billowing into the cul de sac,” said the man, who did not want to give his name.
He rushed over to help the homeowner, who was pulling out her garden hose to fight the fire. Three neighbours on three hoses were soon spraying the back of the home.
Two were spraying the house and the other was focusing on a barbecue and its propane tank to prevent an explosion. Despite their efforts, the fire spread quickly up the side of the house.
Firefighters did not take long to arrive, he said.
“Those guys came pretty quick. They did get it out pretty quick or stop it from getting any worse.”
Another neighbour, a woman, ran into the house and rescued the homeowner’s cat, he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
This is the third house fire in Red Deer in less than a week. Two neighbouring homes went up in flames in Johnstone subdivision last Wednesday night.
Nobody was injured in the blaze, which caused an estimated $650,000 in damage. The fire was believed to have been caused by a child playing with fire.
LaGrange reminds residents to ensure that their smoke detectors are working and have a fire escape plan.
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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