Over 100 people evacuate high-rise balcony fire in downtown Calgary

Over 100 people were evacuated from a high-rise building in downtown Calgary early Tuesday after a balcony fire broke out.

Scott Cowan, battalion chief with the Calgary Fire Department, tells 660 NewsRadio that calls came in just before 2 a.m.

The caller was someone a few blocks away from an apartment on 11 Avenue and 11 Street SW, who said they could see a balcony on fire.

“The building wasn’t in alarm at the time because the fire was just on the balcony, but it eventually breached into the suite and set the alarm off, set the sprinkler off, and set the alarm off,” Cowan said.

“The occupant of that apartment was able to evacuate safely, and the rest of the building started to evacuate as well.”

He says the fire was being held by the sprinkler system before fire crews arrived and put out the blaze.

“Looked a bit spectacular from the outside because the balcony was on fire, but the second that the sprinkler activated, it did its job, and the alarm sounded and certainly warned everybody,” Cowan said.

Meanwhile, the resident of the apartment is now displaced, along with a family below the suite. But he says they shouldn’t be displaced for long.

Additionally, those who self-evacuated were able to return to their suites within an hour of the fire.

He says people were outside, which led to support from Calgary Transit, “keeping people warm on a bus,” along with Calgary police and EMS.

“About the time that the crews were starting to make their way up in the elevator was when the alarm sounded, and that’s when people started evacuating,” Cowan explained.

He said once it went off, the elevators automatically head to the ground floor, which is a precaution that prevents people from being trapped inside and allows firefighters to use them immediately.

“So everybody was making their way down the stairwells,” he said.

“People were doing what they were supposed to be doing by evacuating out of the building. Fire crews were doing what they were supposed to be doing by going up to the fire.”

No injuries were reported, and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, Cowan also adds that fires like these in high-rises aren’t common.

“The buildings are usually made out of concrete. They’re fire-resistant, they have sprinkler systems, they have alarm systems that activate very quickly, and so in most cases, fires do not get very large in structures like that,” he said.

“That was the case with this one as well.”

However, he also says the buildings are typically safe, which have appropriate sprinklers and fire alarm systems. All he suggests is that residents of these buildings follow directions.

“If there’s a fire alarm, they need to evacuate and follow their evacuation plan and follow any directions that are given by the fire department over the overhead speakers,” Cowan said.