Calgary fire crews respond to tragic Lynnwood townhouse fire
At approximately 5:10 on the evening of Thursday, October 31st, 9-1-1 received a call reporting a townhouse fire on Lynnview Road South East. One of the two elderly residents living there was sleeping upstairs when he was awoken by the smoke alarm. As he went downstairs to see what was going on, he could see a fire growing in the kitchen. He tried to put it out but the fire quickly grew larger so he needed to get out. Once outside, he realized that his mom had not evacuated and was likely still inside. He tried to go back in to find and help her, however the thick smoke made it impossible for him to do so. Neighbours were alerted to the fire by his cries for help, and quickly dialed 9-1-1, relaying that an elderly woman was trapped inside.
When fire crews arrived on scene, they were met with thick heavy smoke and flames coming from the townhome. They entered the residence and searched for the missing woman. Once they found her, they quickly brought her outside. Tragically, she had suffered fatal injuries. The male who evacuated was transported to hospital by EMS with smoke inhalation.
The Calgary Fire Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. These types of incidents are heartbreakingly tragic and affect the whole community.
Fire crews worked quickly to contain the fire and keep it from spreading to neighbouring units. The source unit sustained significant fire damage and neighbouring units had some slight smoke damage. All of the adjoining townhomes were evacuated, however it is expected that residents will be allowed back in once their homes are deemed safe by firefighters.
During firefighting efforts, one firefighter sustained a laceration injury which necessitated transportation to hospital by EMS. Fire crews remain on scene putting out hot spots. Calgary Fire Department Fire Investigators are on scene to determine the exact origin and cause of this tragic fire. Calgary Police Service (CPS) Arson Detectives are working together with CFD investigators as is protocol with all fires involving serious injuries, fatalities and large dollar losses.
Kitchen fires, and especially cooking with oil, are the most common indoor accidental reason for residential fires that the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) responds to on a daily basis. While the investigation into the exact origin and cause of this fire has just begun, we know that working smoke alarms are essential to the early detection and acknowledgement that there is a fire emergency your home.
Please see the fire safety tips below on cooking safety, smoke alarms and home escape plans:
Stovetop safety tips
- Never leave cooking unattended, stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling or boiling food.
- If you must leave the kitchen, turn off the stove and remove the pot from the burner.
- Make sure to use dry oven mitts and potholders to prevent scalding or burns.
- Use the stove’s back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk of pots being knocked over.
- Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, and other items that can burn away from your stovetop.
- Clean food and grease from the oven and stovetop once it has cooled.
- Always keep an oven mitt and lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan.
Grease safety
- To prevent overheating and ignition of cooking oil, fry foods in a temperature-controlled deep-fat fryer or skillet designed for a maximum temperature of 200 °C.
- Clean food and grease from the oven and stovetop once it has cooled.’
- In case of a cooking oil fire:
- Do not move the pot or pan or throw water on the flames.
- Using a lid with oven mitt, simply slide a tight fitting lid over the pot or pan to smother the flames.
- Turn off the heat and exhaust fan.
Working smoke alarms save lives by alerting occupants to harmful smoke and can reduce your risk of dying in a home fire. The toxic effects of inhaled smoke can overwhelm occupants before they can escape or even wake up from sleep. When properly installed, tested and maintained, smoke alarms are the best early warning system in the event of a home fire.
What you should know
- Test smoke alarms once a month by pressing the test button and replacing the batteries as required.
- Certain smoke alarms have a ten-year battery that does not need to be replaced for the life of the alarm, while others have replaceable batteries; consult your manual for the proper maintenance and replacement.
- Replace smoke alarms after ten years. If you discover a smoke alarm is defective or broken after testing, replace it immediately.
- Install at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home, including the basement, and ensure there is a smoke alarm inside every bedroom or outside every sleeping area.
- Sleep with bedroom doors closed. Test smoke alarms to ensure you and your family will be able to hear and wake up at the sound of the alarm and if not, install smoke alarms inside bedrooms to ensure residents will hear when sleeping.
- In a typical home fire, you may have as little as two minutes to escape from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Knowing how to use those minutes can make a lifesaving difference.
- A home escape plan contains the layout of your home, the escape routes that should be used, and where to meet once you are outside. It is important to create and practice an escape plan with everyone who lives in your home so that they know what to do if there is a fire.
For more information of fire prevention and fire safety, please visit calgary.ca/fire
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