INNISFAIL – The investigation continues into yesterday's fire that destroyed a home in the town’s Hazelwood Estates subdivision and left a family of seven homeless.
The home was owned by the family of Grace Gresos, the chairperson of Phil-Can Neighbourhood Association of Innisfail.
“It's just so devastating to hear what has happened and I know this community will rally around Grace and her family because she has done so much for Innisfail,” said Town of Innisfail Mayor Jean Barclay. “I'm sure there'll be many opportunities for support from the community to her.”
Gary Leith, chief of the Innisfail Fire Department, said his station received a call at about 11 a.m. on May 16 that there was a house fire in the subdivision at 6329 – 58th Avenue.
“We had our two engine trucks on scene within six minutes for the original call,” said Leith. “That was helped by the fact the guys just literally got back to the hall from a medical assist.
“We had resources already at the fire hall, so people didn't need to get there.”
Innisfail Fire Department requested a ladder truck from the Penhold Fire Department. In total, about 20 firefighters responded to the call, he said.
“As we arrived it (fire) became fully involved on the main floor. As we deployed our hoses the fire took off,” he said. “The fire was wind-driven. The winds were quite high.
“The fire started in the west corner. When the occupants realized there was a fire, they opened doors within the property and the window at the rear failed, which allowed the wind to drive the fire rapidly through the property.”
He said three of the seven family members were in the house when the fire started; Gresos’ husband, a daughter-in-law and a three-year-old grandson.
They were not injured and all got out of the house safely.
The radiant heat from the “extremely intense” fire that had taken hold in the house resulted in “exposures” to the homes immediately north and south of the Gresos property, which led to significant property damage on both sides, he said.
The fire that erupted in the Gresos home also spread to half an acre of grass in an open field behind the Gresos home.
“We had significant challenges straight off the hop,” he said. “We had exposures, both north and south, which we had to defend and try to save those properties, which thankfully we were successful in doing.
“And obviously dealing with the ground fire, which could have spread to the fire or the properties.”
Firefighters battled the blaze until 3 p.m. but the house, which was built for the family in 2016, is considered a write-off, he said.
As for the cause of the blaze, Leith said fire investigators were at the scene today (May 17).
“It's not thought to be suspicious in nature at this time, not likely to be,” he said.
A GoFundMe page called Gresos House Fire Recovery Funds has been started to support the family.
Meanwhile, the Gresos house fire was not the end of the Innisfail Fire Department’s duties on May 16.
“Literally, as we cleared the last truck from scene at that particular fire, we responded to one off Range Road 13, which was a vegetation fire that spread into some farm structures,” said Leith, whose department was also forced to call Spruce View firefighters at noon to handle another blaze off Rge. Rd. 11.
The Rge. Rd. 13 fire was on a rural farm eight kilometres west of town. Two structures sustained minor damage and the call lasted about 90 minutes.
“That paints a picture of the significance of the dry windy conditions right now,” he said.
