'Thank God we're alive': Apartment building evacuated due to fire, police investigating

Fire investigators work on the balcony of a second-floor apartment unit 11029 84 St. NW in the early morning of Sept. 20, 2024. (Evan Klippenstein / CTV News Edmonton)

The Edmonton Police Service says it responded to two different calls at an Edmonton apartment that caught fire early Friday morning.

Police were called to the building at 11029 84 St. NW at 10:21 p.m. on Thursday for an altercation between a man and a woman who are "related to one another."

Officers also responded to a call about a fire at the building at 3:50 a.m. on Friday.

No injuries were reported and no charges have been laid.

Police did not confirm if the incidents were related but said the investigation into both incidents continues. 

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A mother and daughter who lived on the third floor of the building say they woke up to flames encroaching on their apartment.

Both Felicia and Summers Keshane woke around 3 a.m. and were struggling to fall back asleep.

"It smelled really bad. Like burning plastic … I kept looking out and didn't see nothing," Summers recalled later during an interview with CTV News Edmonton from the street outside their complex at 11029 84 St. NW.

"I didn't think nothing of it. I was like, 'There's always weird smells.' So I was trying to go back to bed," her mom said.

But Summers kept looking out her window. Eventually, she saw smoke and then flames.

"There was fire and little bits shooting out and stuff and glass was breaking. And it was going up to our apartment," she said.

By the time all three in their unit got out, flames that looked like they were coming from the suite below had consumed their balcony.

"Thank God we're alive because I could have went back to bed," Felicia said. ''It could have went any other way. I could have went to stay at my friends and she could have been here alone. I'm just glad I woke up when I did."

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services confirmed the fire appears to have originated from a second-floor suite in the three-storey walk up. 

The blaze was reported around 3:10 a.m. and declared out at 6:06 a.m.

A total of 28 people were displaced; none reported any injuries.

The Keshanes have lived in the apartment since they moved to Edmonton almost seven years ago.

Her voice cracking, Felicia said, "This was our first place and we just stayed here. It was home for us. So now we got to find a new one, I guess."

Police were called to the scene as well as firefighters.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Klippenstein