Fire destroys home under construction in south Edmonton Sunday
A fire destroyed a home under construction and damaged two others in Edmonton Sunday.
The fire was reported in a home near Alwood Bend and Alwood Way in south Edmonton around 6 a.m. Sunday.
Dhaval Pachul was woken by the fire. He lives across the street and said he soon realized the fire was spreading quickly.
"I was getting scared," Pachul said. "It was spreading from one house to another house so I wanted to stay awake."
Five more fire crews were called to help, and firefighters remained in the area late into the morning.
"In this neighborhood, the houses are closer together and when its cold like this and there's a little bit of wind, the fire can extend pretty rapidly," said Edmonton Fire Rescue Services District Chief Rob Allen.
Fire officials say no one was hurt, but a family next door was evacuated after the fire spread to their home. The other neighbouring home was also damaged, but the owners were out of town at the time.
Fire investigators were on scene for several hours, but could not say where the fire started.
The Edmonton Police Service has confirmed it's investigating at least 18 incidents of extortion involving fires set at newly built homes or show homes, and investigators believe there may be more cases.
It is not yet known if Sunday's fire is connected in any way to the extortion ring.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to conviction in hush money trial
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
Incendiary device thrown at Vancouver synagogue, Jewish Federation says
An incendiary device was thrown at a Vancouver synagogue Thursday night, leading to increased police presence at local institutions, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver says.