Investigators are looking into the cause of an apartment fire along Ross Street in downtown Red Deer Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Buruma)

By Sheldon Spackman

Update

No one hurt in Ross Street apartment fire

Dec 23, 2020 | 8:32 PM

It appears that a fire that badly damaged an apartment unit in downtown Red Deer Wednesday afternoon began in a bedroom.

However, Acting Deputy Fire Chief Jon Evans said on Thursday morning that investigators have yet to determine an actual ignition source.

“We’re still waiting to speak with the tenant to determine what may have been in the room at the time,” explains Evans. “There were two people in the unit but according to the owner of the unit, there is one tenant displaced at this point.”

“There were a number of units that did not have anybody home at the time and those that were home,” adds Evans. “I think we had evacuated from the eight units, there were approximately 15 people.”

The fire began shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday when crews were called to the scene at 4611 Ross Street.

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Building resident Tom Foshaua says he was helping a friend load his vehicle with supplies when he heard some commotion out in front of the eight-unit, two story apartment building.

“There was a bunch of guys in their vehicles slamming on their brakes and yelling out at each other,” he recalls. “I thought there was a fight or something, but then they were saying call 911! So I ran to the front and I looked up and there was this flaming out the window, just shooting right out the window, like a fireball out the window.”

Some of the evacuees of the apartment fire along Ross Street on Wednesday. (rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

Acting Deputy Chief Jon Evans says crews found smoke billowing from a second story window on the north side of the building when they arrived.

“They initiated a quick attack and were able to get to the scene of the fire and then proceeded to ensure that there were no occupants or any concerns that they had. Then they carried on to make sure the rest of the building was intact.”

Evans says there were no injuries and everyone was accounted for.

“I believe there were a couple occupants in the building of the suite that was involved and they got out right away,” he explains. “It was fast acting work by our crews to get ahead of this fire and contain it. It was contained within the first 10 minutes.”

Fire crews work on a second floor unit of Wednesday’s apartment fire in downtown Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

Evans says it was a passerby in a vehicle that called 911 to report the fire.

“Our station is not that far away, so crews were on scene within the first few minutes,” shares Evans.

He says at this time of year, it’s also a good idea to ensure fire safety is being practiced in the home.

”Don’t leave your stoves unattended. Sometimes when you’re cooking turkeys and things for a number of hours, it’s inherent that you could leave some of those pieces unoccupied, so that would be my one message at this point and more to come maybe tomorrow once we’ve figured out what the determination is,” he suggests. “At this point, I don’t have any information that can conclude us to whether it was a suspicious fire or not.”