An investigation is underway, after firefighters were called to a fire at a Stony Plain townhouse complex late Wednesday night.
Crews were called to the complex, which is under construction off golf course road near Highway 628 in Stony Plain at about 11:30 p.m.
Firefighters had to truck in water to battle the blaze, as the area is under development and hydrants were not operational.
“This was a defensive fire.” Stony Plain Fire Chief Trevor Mistal said in a statement. “Due to it rapidly moving, safety hazards around the site, and the extreme heat and huge fire load, our priority was to prevent any injuries and to ensure no damage to other buildings or property outside the Sommerville Springs development.”
Stony Plain officials said it’s believed 16 townhouses were destroyed in the fire, another 14 sustained varying levels of damage.
The fire was deemed under control at about 1 a.m. Officials said the last building collapsed nearly an hour and a half after crews arrived.
Early Thursday morning, crews remained on the scene putting out hotspots.
The town said the development had been the source of headaches in the past.
“The Town has been frustrated with the development and the developers of this site. Our efforts to mitigate risk and work through the court system to resolve the problems with this area are still ongoing. This situation just adds to the list of grievances we have,” town manager Tom Goulden said in a statement. “We commend the efforts of our Fire Department, protecting their own lives and surrounding buildings was the right call under the circumstances.
No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, and buildings our property outside of the development were not damaged.
