EDMONTON - A major blaze at a southside apartment building that kept close to 50 firefighters busy Wednesday evening has displaced up to 85 residents.
Tim Wilson, spokesman for Edmonton Fire Rescue, told Global News the fire broke out just before 8 p.m. on an upper floor of the three-story Greenfield Manor complex at 40th Avenue and 113 Street.
"The fire alarm was going off, but it goes off all the time for no reason so I didn't think anything of it. But then someone knocked on our door, and then I knew 'time to go,'" said resident Cody Anderson.
"When I got outside, everybody was in a panic - didn't know what was going on, so I'm glad everyone got out. Everyone was on the ball after the door-knocking."
A mayday had to be called at 8:15 p.m. after flames were spreading to the roof and causing it to partially collapse. Wilson said crews were able to get out safely and began fighting the flames from outside at that point.
In the meantime, dozens of residents were being kept warm on ETS buses.
It wasn't until about two hours after the blaze began that firefighters were able to get it under control.
The cause, origin and extent of damage are not yet known, but Wilson believes the building's firewall was able to prevent the fire from spreading even further.
He also admits that there are similarities to the Heatheridge Estates blaze, which recently left around 100 residents homeless.
"The weather tonight is a lot warmer. The Heatheridge fire was about -30, even colder with the wind chill," he said.
One big difference between the two blazes, though, is that 9-1-1 was called much sooner in this case, allowing crews to salvage much more of the building.
Wilson said he believed about 15 units were directly affected by the fire, but residents of all 29 suites have been displaced.
Many of those residents are now being helped by the Red Cross.
Residents who require assistance with their immediate needs should call Red Cross at 1-888-800-6493.
For updates on when residents can get access to their suites and retrieve their belongings, the building owner has said to call 780-695-1554 or 780-966-5666 after the fire investigation finishes.
With files from Ross Neitz, Global News
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