By Sheldon Spackman

No injuries after cooking fire in West Lake

Nov 26, 2018 | 11:26 AM

Officials with Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) are reminding residents not to leave cooking unattended after a house fire in West Lake Sunday night.

RDES Fire Safety Codes Officer Andrew Towers says crews were called to a single-family bi-level home on Wiley Crescent around 9:50 p.m. and encountered heavy smoke and fire in the kitchen area when they arrived.

“It was knocked down relatively easily, they didn’t have a whole lot of issues putting out the fire,” he explains. “Based on witness statements and physical evidence at the scene, the fire appears to be accidental due to cooking. As far as damage for the home, it was held to the upstairs portion, so the kitchen suffered severe fire damage and smoke damage throughout that upper level of the home.”

Towers estimates damage to be in the $50,000 range but feels the home can be repaired.

“At the time of the fire there were four occupants but no injuries, everybody evacuated safely,” states Towers. “The occupants renting the home were taken by Red Cross and put up in a hotel but I’m not sure how long they’re going to be put up in a hotel. I have also spoken with the owner and he does have insurance on the home.”

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Towers says crews were on scene for about an hour and a half and adds they often see a 30 per cent increase in fires this time of year.

“Specifically in the city of Red Deer, cooking is one of our leading causes of fire,” he points out. “We just want to urge residents to make sure that they’re watching what they cook and not to leave it for any amount of time. Just be aware.”