Smoke filled the sky as flames engulfed two Okotoks houses Tuesday afternoon, Mar. 15, 2022.
Several 911 calls were made at about 4:30 p.m. for two homes on Sheep River Cove.
Emergency crews from Okotoks, High River, and Heritage Pointe stations helped fight the blaze.
The Town of Okotoks gave a Facebook update at 6:36 p.m. saying that the fire was under control and that roads in the area were closed, only allowing local traffic in.
Firefighters were still tackling flaming hotspots around 7 p.m.
Several people in the neighbourhood and surrounding areas were quick to offer their support to the families affected by the fire.
Many took to social media offering clothing, toiletries, and even a place to stay.
Neighbours nearby shared their experiences.
Sharleen Montemurro was in her home office when her daughter told her something was burning.
She grabbed her phone and ran outside, calling 911 when she saw the smoke.
The fire department was already on its way by then due to an earlier caller, and she said they arrived in about seven minutes.
“Myself and the next door neighbour here ran out at the same time and ran toward the houses. The gentleman in the two-story was home, and he came running out the back.”
She said they asked if he needed anything and let him know that the fire department was on its way.
“Our next door neighbour ran into the bungalow and got the gentleman out of the shower, dog out of the house. And because of the wind from the southwest there, it was so fast.”
“From what we understand, everybody was OK except for potentially a cat.”
Montemurro said the incident triggered some memories of an earlier fire.
“It was scary, and actually it’s five years almost to the day where two other houses went up across the street. So it just kind of brought back memories. But at the same time, the whole neighbourhood came out to help which makes us feel pretty special in where we live.”
There was also an issue with some vehicles parked on the road.
“I think we need to talk to the town and see what we need to do about parking because the firetruck couldn’t get around at the end with cars parked on both sides of the street.”
She said something needs to happen to make things safer in that regard.
It also reminded her of the importance of being prepared in case of an emergency.
“In terms of being a parent with kids, it does make you think, ‘OK, we should go through the house. We should videotape our personal belongings for insurance purposes.’ And it kind of makes you think of an exit plan and what you need to have handy and ready to go in case of any sort emergency.”
Another neighbour Evan Thachuk, 14, said he was in the basement when the lights started flickering on and off, so he went upstairs to see what was going on.
“I saw a firetruck drive by and obviously I knew something was wrong, so I stepped outside and the whole cove was covered in smoke. So I come out on the street and the house is halfway up in flames. It was pretty scary.”
His initial concern was whose house it was and if everyone was alright.
He soon heard from others in the area that everyone was OK.
“I was relieved cause it’s obviously sad that they’ve lost everything that they’ve worked so hard for, but the people is what mattered.”
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