Varsity house fire sends one man to hospital

At approximately 12:50 p.m. today, a group of teens in the vicinity of Varsity Crescent noticed the smell of smoke in the air. Upon investigating, they discovered smoke coming from the front door of a single-family home and immediately called 9-1-1.

Fire crews from the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) arrived on scene and declared a working fire. Firefighters entered the home to search for occupants and extinguish the fire. A middle-aged man was located upstairs in the room where the fire originated. He was quickly brought outside and transferred to waiting EMS paramedics for assessment. The patient was then transported to hospital with burns to his face and hands.

The fire was successfully extinguished, and damage was contained to the room of origin. However, smoke damage has affected the remainder of the home. As a precaution, utilities were disconnected by ATCO and ENMAX, and the residents will be unable to return at this time.

A CFD Fire Investigator attended the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire. The home did have working smoke alarms that activated after the fire started. 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.

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.​​​​

Fore more fire prevention and fire safety information, please visit calgary.ca/fire

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