Calgary Fire Department responds for a cube truck into a downtown grocery store

At approximately 2:30 on Thursday afternoon, August 18, Calgary 9-1-1 started receiving calls for a motor vehicle collision involving a cube truck that struck and broke through the  west wall of a downtown grocery store located at the 1100 block of 11 Avenue S.W.  On arrival, fire crews promptly called the CFD technical rescue team to the scene due to the amount of intrusion into the building by the vehicle and the subsequent structural damage.

The store was evacuated of customers and staff by fire crews. Staff who needed to retrieve items were escorted back inside by firefighters briefly, keeping clear of the affected area. Power was isolated and shut off to a portion of the store which sustained the most damage.  Care was taken by fire crews to maintain power to other parts of the store so that merchandise that is temperature sensitive would not be affected.  A safety codes officer from the City of Calgary's Safety Response Unit as well as a structural engineer from the City was called to the scene to assess the level of damage and provide guidance on the safest removal of the vehicle.

CPS officers were on scene to support fire crews' efforts in maintaining a safe perimeter and EMS paramedics cared for and transported three patients to hospital with minor injuries.

Anybody who was in the area at the time of the incident and has early photos or video of the collision is asked to email piofire@calgary.ca

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