A house fire that started on Thursday evening has left a Heritage Lakes home in ruins, its roof burst open and in cinders, appliances melted and living room charred, exposed to the elements and littered with scorched fibreglass insulation.
Neighbours of the home on The Willows said that the fire started around 7 p.m. and fire crews were working on the blaze until after 11 p.m.
Next-door neighbour Richard Dombrosky spotted the fire when he was in his backyard.
“Something went wrong with the barbecue … the whole back wall was burning, and it just went ‘poof!’” he said. “It went through the whole house; you could just see it going through the roof.”
The smoke was so thick that it completely shrouded the house, Dombrosky said.
He estimated about 30 neighbours stepped out of their homes to watch the fire.
Dombrosky’s home was not damaged, but siding on the neighbouring home to the east of the house was burned.
The neighbour of that home, who asked not to be named, said that her house had received smoke damage.
She was not able to go home last night and spent the night at a hotel.
The fire is currently under investigation, said Ryan Harley, City of St. Albert Fire Prevention Officer, in an email.
“Fire services reminds residents to always practice fire safety by ensuring wood burning firepits are permitted, barbecues are used as per the manufacturer instructions and away from your home, and cigarettes are properly disposed,” Harley said.
