Calgary Fire Investigators Determine the Cause of the Tragic East Village Fire
On Friday, July 19th, Calgary fire crews responded to an apartment building fire in the East Village which resulted in the death of a woman who lived within the suite where the fire originated. Calgary Fire Department Fire Investigators have now concluded their investigation and have determined the origin and cause of this fire including the cause of the explosion that was reported to 9-1-1 by several callers.
The fire originated on the stove top as a result of cooking oil reaching ignition temperature and starting on fire. The fire then grew and extended to the rest of the kitchen, filling the suite with thick hot smoke. The smoke alarm in the suite was not working and thus did not alert the resident to the dangerous fire situation. Once the fire and smoke used up most of the air in the suite, a cracked window allowed air in that resulted in the explosion.
This was a very tragic situation which has affected residents in her building and especially on her floor amongst neighbours who tried to help in very difficult and dangerous circumstances. The Calgary Fire Department would again like to extend our condolences to her family, friends and neighbours for their tragic loss. This was Calgary's fourth fire fatality of 2024.
The Calgary Fire Department would like to share the following fire prevention and fire safety information as kitchen fires are the most common indoor accidental fire emergency fire crews respond to daily in our city.
- 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.
- 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.
- Certain smoke alarms have a 10-year battery that does not need replacing for the life of the alarm, while others have replaceable batteries; consult your manual for the proper maintenance and replacement
For more information on fire prevention and fire safety, please visit calgary.ca/fire
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