Explosion and fire destroy home near Okotoks, elderly couple escapes

Analysis

An explosion and fire destroyed a home in a rural subdivision south of Calgary on Thursday morning, forcing an elderly couple to flee and scattering debris across the neighbourhood. The Foothills Fire Department said crews were called to North Coulee Trail, northeast of Okotoks, around 7 a.m. after reports of an explosion. Deputy Chief Dave Simms said when crews arrived the house was "completely on fire." The two residents were able to exit the building and were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, officials said. The RCMP said there is nothing suspicious about the fire.

Neighbours described being awoken by a massive blast that shook their homes. "We just felt an explosion, it rattled the whole house," said Amanda Bullock, who lives about three acres east of the property. "It felt like an earthquake was right underneath our house." Bullock said her family witnessed a second explosion minutes later as they watched the fire from an upstairs window. "From our top window we could see the house clearly and there was just massive flames and then when we saw the second explosion. It was big," she said.

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House a total loss, debris scattered widely

Foothills Fire Chief Alex Marshall said the house is a total loss. All that remained standing was an archway that led into the garage. Roofing debris was blown nearly 100 metres away, with shingles hanging from trees and a piece of plywood impaling a tree. White insulation resembling snow was scattered across several blocks. A sea can located in the backyard had its doors blown inward from the blast. Marshall said crews conducted a defensive strategy due to the size of the fire. "Presently, it’s under control, knocked down and we’re working on hotspots right now," he said Thursday morning.

Wendy Jones, who lives across the street, said she and her husband were asleep when they heard a huge bang that knocked a picture off a wall. She said it just kept exploding and the flames kept getting bigger and higher. Jones said a guest from Chicago was outside at the time and alerted them to the fire. "He came upstairs, and then he said there's a fire. It just kept exploding. It was just mushrooming up into the sky." Jones said she was worried flames would spread to trees on nearby properties. "It was horrifying to watch, because it's somebody's home," she said.

School closed, utilities isolated as investigation begins

The explosion forced the closure of Heritage Heights School for the day, with students relocated to École Percy Pegler in Okotoks. The Scott Seaman Sports Rink will be closed until fire crews can investigate the extent of the damage in the area. St. Francis of Assisi Academy remained open with students staying indoors. ATCO crews were on site to support emergency crews and isolate power and gas, said Corinne Severson, vice president of operations with ATCO. Additional fire support was provided by the Okotoks Fire Department, the Priddis Fire Station, Spruce Meadows Station and the High River Fire Department.

Officials have not confirmed the cause of the fire or the blast. Marshall said it is too early to know the cause but an investigation will get underway once the fire is fully knocked down. "At this time there doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious but the investigation is yet to really get underway," he said. Simms expressed relief that no one was seriously injured, calling it a surprise given the significant fire. The incident follows a deadly fire and explosion at CFB Wainwright in October that killed four soldiers. Nosy Mag reported in October that a grass fire whipped by high winds overtook soldiers on a firing range, causing an explosion at the Alberta military base.

With files from The Canadian Press, Global News and CBC News