Huge Residential Fire In Edmonton

Duration: 52 seconds Upload Time: 07-08-05 11:01:12 User: ramadan2710 :::: Favorites

Description: The blaze began shortly after 5 a.m. in a four-storey condominium under construction but quickly spread to nine two-family homes along 119th Street NW, north of Ellerslie Road, as strong winds fanned the flames. All were destroyed and 38 other houses were damaged, a fire department official told the Canadian Press. Some veteran firefighters described the fire as the largest they'd seen in the city. "It looks like a war zone. I don't know how to describe it any better than that. It was just total devastation for a lot of homes and a lot of people's lives," said Edmonton fire Chief Randy Wolsey. When firefighters arrived on the scene, flames were shooting more than 30 metres, or 10 storeys, into the air, Capt. Kim Guterson told Canadian Press. Nearby resident Kelly Cooper woke up to what she thought was a massive windstorm. "I heard glass breaking and I thought there was a tornado, to be honest with you.