'These hoses tend to freeze up fairly quickly': Calgary firefighters battle house fire and the cold in Dover

Several people called 911 early Wednesday to report smoke pouring from a home in the southeast community of Dover.

When fire crews arrived at the home in the 3400 block of 34A Avenue S.E. just after 6:30 a.m., they started an aggressive interior attack of the flames. However, they were forced to evacuate when the building's structure became compromised, the fire department said in a release.

"The neighbour to the west heard a loud bang. We're not sure if that was glass breaking or something in the house. They looked out and saw some smoke coming out of the building," said District Chief Al Gilliland.

"When [fire crews] arrived here, they saw a lot of smoke and flame coming out of the west side of the building, which is primarily where the main entrance is."

The fire was centred mainly in the basement; however, crews used aerial equipment to pour water from above to ensure flames didn't move into the attic.

The temperature in Calgary was –21 C on Wednesday morning, which hampered the firefighting effort.

"It can be quite substantial when you think about it, with an 80-pound pack on your back, and your gear, now you drop the temperatures down to –20 C, –30 Celsius," said Gilliland.

"These hoses tend to freeze up fairly quickly and exertion is incredible, the amount of energy it takes to fight a fire in this environment."

No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported.

Investigators are now looking for a cause of the blaze.

Anyone with photos or videos of the fire is asked to email them to the Calgary Fire Department.