Fire at NE Calgary seniors home sends 4 to hospital

Four people have been taken to hospital, and 30 people are displaced after a fire broke out at a seniors housing complex in northeast Calgary Thursday, which closed Deerfoot at 16 Avenue and 6 Street.

Officers received calls of a fire on the third floor of Silvera for Seniors – Mountainview Apartments on 710 16 Avenue at around 2:45 p.m., which houses just under 100 seniors in the building.

The fire department upgraded it to a second-alarm fire due to the age of the residents and the size of the building.

EMS initially told CityNews three people had been taken to hospital and are in stable, non-life-threatening condition. They later confirmed that number to be four people.

Four others are also being assessed for smoke inhalation.

Calgary firefighters have ladders at windows of Silvera for Seniors – Mountainview Apartments in Calgary on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Tiffany Goodwein, CityNews image)

Carol Henke, a public information officer with the Calgary Fire Department, says crews reported seeing heavy smoke coming from the windows and noted people were attempting to evacuate upon their arrival.

She says while some people left the building, a decision was made for those on the higher floors — the fourth floor and up — to shelter in place.

“Fire crews did get a quick knockdown, and the decision was made for those on the higher floors to shelter in place, and that often is the best and safest decision versus taking a stairwell to slowly evacuate that could fill with smoke and create a situation where now we have a lot more casualties,” Henke explained.

The fire severely damaged the suite of origin, and smoke also damaged the rest of the third floor.

A Calgary fire truck in front of a SE seniors home on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (James Paracy, CityNews image)

Henke says water damaged parts of the second floor as well, leading to residents of those two floors — 30 people in total — not being able to go back home “anytime soon.”

“It’s still early in the incident, and there’s still a lot of moving parts,” she said. “We need to clear all of the smoke from the entire building, ensure there’s no carbon monoxide, and make sure that the air quality is okay for people to go back in.”

“People who are sheltered in place, they have their windows open, hopefully, and have something along the bottom of the door to not allow any smoke in.”

However, the CFD later said the floors where residents were sheltered in place were evacuated “due to migrating smoke and carbon monoxide.”

Henke says alternative accommodations are being provided, and residents will be taken there by Calgary Transit.

“Upper floors will be reoccupied once air quality levels are deemed safe by fire crews,” a statement from her reads.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Meanwhile, 16 Avenue at 6 Street had westbound lanes closed due to the fire.

The CFD asks anyone with information, photos or video of this fire — especially prior to crews arriving on scene — to email piofire@calgary.ca.

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-With files from Tiffany Goodwein