Fire at west-end apartment building like an 'explosion': residents

When flames broke out at an apartment building in west Edmonton Monday morning, residents heard a loud "blast" and felt their floor shake.

Just before 10:30 a.m. Brighton Court resident Poonam Gaba felt a "bomb blast" on her fourth floor.

When she went outside her apartment, Gaba told CTV News Edmonton she saw black smoke streaming from her neighbour's unit.

"My whole place just shook and I heard this explosion," added longtime and third-floor resident Margaret Courtoreille.

"I went to go and look upstairs and I couldn't because there was so much smoke."

Firefighters were called to the complex at 106 Avenue NW and 156 Street NW just before 10:30 a.m., according to Edmonton Fire Rescue Services. The Edmonton Police Service responded, too, and a spokesperson confirmed to CTV News the fire is considered suspicious and is under investigation.

"Initially there was six units – which is 24 firefighters – and we called for an additional three," district chief Robert Garth said.

Two of the additional units were technical rescue teams, because one wall had been breached – or "cracked" as Gaba described it.

The building was evacuated but residents were able to return to their homes around noon if their unit had been unaffected. It's not known if the resident of the unit where the fire originated was at home at the time, but Garth confirmed no one had been hurt.

Crews had the blaze under control around 10:43 a.m.

Total damages were estimated to be $575,000, consisting mostly of structural damage plus $50,000 in lost contents. 

Police and fire investigators were back at the scene on Tuesday.