Around 1:20 a.m., the Calgary Fire Department responded to a call for a structure fire on Harvest Oak Circle NE. They discovered smoke coming from the attached garage of an apartment building connected to four adjacent homes.
Firefighters encountered people outside the building who directed them inside.
Crews discovered two adults and transported them outside, where they were pronounced dead.
Another woman and her two children who live at the residence escaped unhurt.
“We had a total of 28 firefighters on eight appliances and they were able to arrive within six minutes of the initial call,” said Gordon Best, Calgary Fire Department’s northern district chief.
The fire was contained in less than 30 minutes, but no further information is available as to why the victims who were found dead were inside the unit’s garage at the time. “Two people were found dead in the garage and it was just based on the fire conditions there that it was quite hot. The good news was that the door to the other residence was closed, which is why the damage continued to be so minimal because the fire was not allowed to spread to anyone else.” The fire was contained in less than 30 minutes, but no further information is available as to why the victims who were found dead were inside the unit’s garage at the time. Best adds that fire and arson investigators are still determining the cause. Fire damage was limited to the garage, with minor smoke damage to the rest of the building. Residents were temporarily evacuated but have since returned to their homes. Later Saturday morning, neighbors placed flowers on the doorstep of the home to show their support and offer condolences. Fire crews called to a fire early Saturday morning found 2 people dead in Calgary’s northeast Harvest Hills neighborhood Michael Newton lives just a few doors down and says he was shocked to hear the tragic news. “This is quite shocking,” he said. “I had to double check to confirm this really happened in my little community because I fell asleep with all the windows open last night and heard nothing. Several neighbors were also confused about where the fire started because of the minimal damage to the home’s exterior. Mahmood Rajan owns and rents one of the units on the street. He arrived early on Saturday to make sure his tenants were okay. “We were so worried,” she said. “This is a relatively quiet area, so it was quite shocking to hear that.” Recovery crews remain on the scene at Harvest Oak Circle and a medical examiner is expected to complete autopsies on the victims in the coming days.
