“Get out of the yard” – vehicles catch fire in SE storage yard
Posted Apr 5, 2017 2:32 pm.
Last Updated Apr 5, 2017 5:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A blaze at a southeast vehicle storage yard could’ve been a lot more serious were it not for the quick work of Calgary firefighters.
Just after 11 a.m. Wednesday, multiple 911 calls came in about the blaze in the 3500 block of 52nd St. S.E., right next to Harris Rebar.
Carol Henke with the Calgary Fire Department said crews found several vehicles on fire and up to 10 could’ve been lit, as well as a nearby trailer.
“The fire had affected some power lines, which really increased the risk to our firefighters,” she said, as ENMAX crews were called in to mitigate the problem.
While Harris Rebar is right next to the yard, there’s also a Gas Plus station on its other side, but thankfully crews were able to get the fire under control well before it got closer.
A fence separates the yard from the work site where witness Joe Holmes was driving his forklift when he first saw the smoke.
“I know there’s not supposed to be any smoke in that area at all, so the first thing I did is I told the boys to the get out of the yard,” he said. “I walked around the corner and sure enough there was fire.”
Holmes also saw a young employee in the yard.
“He was just walking out and he had said that he actually caught on fire himself and put it out,” he said. “I guess he was trying to call his father or somebody and he was really upset, so I had to call 911.”
Holmes added the employee told him the fire could’ve started because a power wire was too low and sparked, but he couldn’t be certain because the employee was quite distraught.
The Calgary Fire Dept. reported that a lone employee had safely evacuated the area there were reports of explosions which could be attributed to propane tanks and residual fuel in vehicle gas tanks.
There were also multiple road closures in the area, with 52nd Street closed between Erin Woods Drive and Peigan Trail in both directions.
The fire also destroyed the top of a power pole and some of the traffic lights in the area were affected, turning nearby intersections into four-way stops.
Fire crews are still investigating the cause.
