House fire at 5826 27 Street in Riverside Meadows on Sunday caused by unauthorized person staying in vacant property. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Stove element & squatting

Two house fires in Red Deer over the weekend; two vastly different causes

Nov 27, 2023 | 5:33 PM

Two house fires took place over the weekend in Red Deer for vastly different reasons.

The City of Red Deer notified residents through social media on Saturday that fire crews were dispatched to the Evergreen neighbourhood.

Fire Marshal Tim Kivell confirmed the fire at 147 Ellington Drive happened on November 25 while the homeowner had been away since Wednesday. He confirmed a neighbour made the call around 8:07 a.m.

The cause of the fire, he says, was due to an element on the stove that had not been properly turned off. Although there was nothing directly on the element, there was a plastic coffee maker on the counter beside the stove. The heat gradually melted the plastic and shorted out, causing a small fire that extended to the cabinet above the coffee machine. The appliance was also plugged into the socket, leaving it energized.

He confirmed the fire was contained to the kitchen area and extinguished itself; however, crews arrived to heavy smoke, breaking down the front door to see significant smoke damage to the main floor and upper level of the home.

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Assistant Deputy Chief Curtis Schaefer says 19 crew members were dispatched to the fire between three engines, a ladder truck, one command vehicle and an ambulance. Kivell says crews left around 9:43 a.m.

Kivell says there was no evidence that the homeowner had previously been cooking, and speculates that, as the elements’ dials were aligned with the edge of the countertop, someone may have accidentally and unknowingly bumped into them to turn them slightly on.

He says while no one was hurt and no other damage was found on surrounding properties, there was a kitten in the home unaccounted for but believes it may be alive given recent footprints found on the ground.

Estimating roughly $40,000 in damages, he says the owner is currently staying with friends as the house in inhospitable.

Kivell says it is always a good recommendation to unplug appliances when leaving the home for a considerable amount of time.

SUNDAY: RIVERSIDE MEADOWS

The City also shared on social media this Sunday that crews were on scene of a house fire on 57 Street in the Riverside Meadows area, with the street closed between 58A Avenue and 60 Avenue.

Kivell says crews were dispatched to 5826 57 Street on November 26 at 12:30 p.m. after a call from a passerby.

He confirmed the house was vacant and caused by an unauthorized person staying in the home, known as a “squatter”. He says they were using a portable propane torch to provide heat, leading to some combustibles to catch fire.

House fire at 5826 27 Street in Riverside Meadows on Sunday caused by unauthorized person staying in vacant property. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

“Any time a building is vacant, there’s a requirement to have them properly secure to prevent unauthorized entry and that would be the responsibility of the homeowner and so if the home is vacant and it’s not secured, it’s going to foster this type of activity,” he said.

The property was put up for sale in early November as vacant land on real estate websites for $142,000, noting the removal of the existing building was scheduled to be completed by January 1, 2024.

Schaefer said 25 crew members, entailing three engines, a ladder truck, a rescue truck and two ambulances, arrived to the sight of heavy smoke conditions from the second floor of the home.

Kivell said an investigator suggested the house had been previously boarded up and may have been broken into. Schaefer also said crews had to force their way into the structure and noticed the electric and gas metres were disconnected, due to a previous fire at the home.

Kivell confirmed that fire crews called an external company to board the home prior to their departure at around 1:45 p.m., and the property is set for demolishing this Friday.

Back of 5826 27 Street in Riverside Meadows that caught fire on Sunday caused by unauthorized person staying in vacant property. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

There was no damage to surrounding properties.

With the investigation assisted by RCMP, Corporal Troy Savinkoff, Public Information Officer with Alberta RCMP, said the individual in the home was transported to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and confirmed no one was hurt from the fire.

He said the person was not criminally charged for the fire as there was no intentionality.

Savinkoff also confirmed that concerns were shared with RCMP by the public earlier this month and week about someone potentially squatting at the property. He says RCMP visited the property, but no one was there at the time.

The City says they have not received complaints of squatting on this particular property, noting for these types of complaints, they would call RCMP to speak with the unauthorized individual staying at the property.

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