(rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

RESIDENTS DISPLACED

Red Deer Emergency Services responds to back-to-back residential fires

Mar 31, 2025 | 12:53 PM

Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) was busy Monday morning, responding to two separate structure fires affecting residential buildings.

At about 6:30 a.m., RDES received a report of a fire at a three-story apartment in the Pines neighbourhood along Parke Avenue.

Tyler Pelke, RDES Deputy Chief, says initial reports claimed a fire began in one of the suites and that a couple of people were trapped on the third floor. As crews arrived, Pelke says the individuals were able to extricate themselves from the fire and were directed to the ambulance for examination.

Aside from some minor smoke inhalation by these individuals, there were no injuries reported and everyone was evacuated safely.

The fire was under control by roughly 7:30 a.m., however, significant damage had already occurred.

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“A couple of suites there experienced some significant fire damage, as you can imagine, with extension into the attic. Overall, we had to displace about 20 residents,” says Pelke. “Those residents will be out for a period of time, at least probably three to five days while they get the building looked at to make sure it’s safe for people to go back in. Red Cross is helping with those, making arrangements to register those people and make sure they have a place to go.”

RCMP also responded to the call, assisting with directing residents and acting as RDES’s eyes in the sky by utilizing a drone. Pelke says the drone helped crews gain a clearer picture of the upper floors, as it was challenging for their ladders to access three of the building’s sides.

“It definitely sped up the ability to give us real time information about what was happening, what we were doing and whether that was making a difference, whether we needed to do anything different,” Pelke commends.

External damage visible from one of the affected suites. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

The initial report received by RDES also alleged that electric (lithium) scooter batteries held in one of the units had started the fire. Pelke says they did find scooter batteries in the suite of origin, however, the investigation is still ongoing, so he cannot say for certain whether they were the cause of the fire.

The state of the building is also being evaluated; once this safety evaluation is complete, some residents may be able to continue living in unaffected units, provided the building’s structural integrity hasn’t been compromised.

Four engines responded to the fire, which were thankfully free following another fire earlier that same morning.

At 2:43 a.m. on March 31, RDES received a call reporting a house fire near 51 Avenue and 37 Street in the South Hill area.

While it appeared to be a single family dwelling, RCMP, who were first on scene, confirmed it was an abandoned residence. No occupants were found at the time of the fire, or afterward, when searching the scene.

Pelke says crews initially tried to put the fire out from inside the building, but “hoarding and debris” throughout required them to pull back quickly and work from the outside instead. An excavator was brought in to help extinguish the fire, since an internal attack was not an option.

The fire was out by about 4:30 a.m. and its cause is still under investigation. The residence itself was completely destroyed, but there was no damage to neighbouring properties.

According to RCMP, the house was known to police for incidents of drug use and squatting, Pelke says, which could be an indicator that’s considered while a cause is investigated.

For this call, Pelke says three engines and an aerial ladder responded, the full first alarm response.

While the fires did occur relatively close in time, Pelke says it’s fortunate they didn’t overlap.

“The fact that they happened so close together and not overlapping — which has happened in the past, but thankfully doesn’t happen very often — luckily, we were able to shift and adjust and we were all ready to go for the next one,” reflects Pelke.

While it doesn’t happen often, in cases where incidents do overlap, he says Red Deer can make adjustments and rely on its mutual aid partners.

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