PENHOLD - An urgent Mayday call was issued early Wednesday afternoon when local firefighters were trapped in a house fire after a floor collapsed.
"It was a scary situation but nobody panicked. We are trained to handle that and we just did it," said Penhold fire Chief Jim Pendergast, adding he was relieved his crew of three firefighters was safely removed without any injuries.
Pendergast said one female occupant was at the home on Johnson Close on the back deck shortly after noon hour on May 15 when she heard her dog barking from inside. She then discovered there was a fire inside the house. The Penhold Fire Department was then called to respond at about 12:20 p.m.
When firefighters arrived they saw heavy smoke coming from the chimney and basement windows.
Pendergast said a team of three firefighters entered the house and went into the basement where they believed the blaze had started.
He said a second team followed to set up ventilation to help remove smoke and hot gases. Immediately after entering the house from the front entrance the floor collapsed, trapping one firefighter, said Pendergast, adding the other two team members were able to quickly pull him out.
However, the first team in the basement was trapped and they issued a Mayday call, which is done when firefighters are disorientated, lost, injured, trapped, or whenever they have an emergency and need assistance or rescue.
"We immediately changed our strategy to rescue and managed to get the firefighters out with a ladder through a window after about five minutes," said Pendergast, adding the Mayday scenario lasted about five minutes. "All three firefighters were treated at the scene by Red Deer EMS and released.”
In the meantime, other firefighters at the scene continued to battle the blaze, which they had under control within an hour.
"First we had to knock it down through the windows to be able to gain access. The stairs had collapsed along with part of the main floor," said Captain Sean Pendergast.
Fire chief Pendergast said the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined. He said the lone female occupant at the time of the fire was not injured, nor any of the 20 attending firefighters. He said all pets were saved except one gerbil that perished.
The local fire chief said the home sustained heavy fire and water damage to the basement, and the main floor near the front entrance. There was also smoke damage to the rest of the house. He estimated that damage could be as high as $100,000.
The investigation into the house fire continues.
