Calgary firefighters battle 3 house fires on weekend, 2 dogs killed in blaze

Calgary firefighters battled three house fires over the weekend, the last of which claimed the lives of two dogs after the home's occupant and another dog escaped safely.

The fire broke out Sunday morning in the 200 block of Coverdale Road N.E., in the Coventry Hills neighbourhood.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause and the origin of the blaze.

"On our primary search, we did locate two deceased dogs in the fire," said on-duty Battalion Chief Alistair Robin with the Calgary Fire Department.

"We did manage to protect the exposed home, so there's no damage to the neighbours on either side."

The house where the fire broke out is badly damaged, he said.

Two Saturday fires

On Saturday evening, fire crews responded to two other house fires around the city.

One happened just before 8:30 p.m. in the Huntington Hills neighbourhood on Huntstrom Road N.E. with fire crews reporting heavy smoke and flames from a few blocks away.

A release from Calgary Fire said crews began an aggressive fire attack.

The only occupant of the home escaped safely, but the home sustained substantial damage. An adjacent home also suffered damage to its exterior.

The second fire was reported a short time later in Ranchlands. Crews were called to the 7000 block of Ranchero Rd N.W., where a "multifamily occupancy" was on fire. 

The blaze damaged the building's exterior and breached the building through a second story window. Crews were able to get the building's residents and one occupant from the source unit out safely. 

The cause and the origin of both fires is under investigation.

Robin says there's nothing similar enough between the incidents to connect them, but the warming weather could have played a role.

"People move outside, sit on patios more, so there's more barbecues, and those residents that are smokers, they often don't extinguish their smoking material appropriately," he said.

"Because they're outside … there's no early indication, and the fire gets big before it can be extinguished."

Calgary Fire is asking Calgarians to ensure they have an escape plan in place in case of a fire and to check smoke alarms regularly.