INNISFAIL – A local senior citizen has died from a pre-Christmas house fire, one of several structural blazes the Innisfail Fire Department was called to within a 24-hour time period.
Two of the blazes Innisfail firefighters were called to occurred in houses. Both did not have working fire alarms, said Gary Leith, the chief of the Innisfail Fire Department.
“We have tried to stress this at various times a year,” said Leith, who noted the blazes occurred during the challenging pre-Christmas cold snap. “The conditions in this weather are extremely challenging on people and on equipment. We have hoses freezing, and just the sheer cold to deal with while being outside.”
Late in the evening at 11:50 p.m. on Dec. 20, Innisfail firefighters were called to a house fire on 47th Street.
“There was an obvious fire in the living room of that property. They (firefighters) had to do a forcible entry to gain access to the main area of the property which was on fire. The resident was found in the bedroom and recovered,” said Leith, adding the home was occupied by a male.
RCMP say the man was 77.
“Unfortunately, it wasn't a survival situation. He was recovered from the building by fire crews. Unfortunately, he was deceased,” said Leith.
He said firefighters got the house fire under control within 10 minutes after arrival.
Leith said the living room of the house was “severely damaged”, adding one of the windows needed to be secured.
He said there was heavy smoke damage to the rest of the property.
Leith said firefighters remained on scene until about 4 a.m. to ensure “full extinguishment.”
He said the cause of the blaze is under investigation but is not deemed to be suspicious.
On Dec. 20, Innisfail firefighters were also called to the Bluebird Motel for a daytime fire in a suite.
Leith said a 60-year-old male sustained burns to his arm and back. He said there was some damage to the man’s suite but “not significant.”
“That particular fire was accidental in nature,” said Leith.
