A large firefighting crew descended on a blaze that broke out at a shopping center in southwest Calgary Thursday morning.
Calgary Fire District Chief Kevin Wiens said a passerby called 911 when he saw smoke and fire coming from a mall at 1800 Street from Sirocco Drive SW around 2:45 a.m.
“Our first engine arrived from a nearby station about five minutes later and immediately began firing operations,” he said.
The fire was put out at 6 am, but crews remained in place.
“We’re reviewing the additions and working to make sure they don’t go anywhere else,” Wiens said.
He said fighting fires in larger structures such as the commercial sector requires a specific strategy that balances risks and takes every precaution to keep crews safe while they carry out their jobs.
“We use bigger stripes on top, and eventually once we get that off we go inside and get the rest of the fire out.”
About half a dozen businesses were affected by the fire, Wiens said, some of which were “total losses.”
“The situation is catastrophic in some units,” he said. “As time goes on today and we can go in and check in a little bit more, we’ll be able to figure out how much this is.”
Rick Chuck has owned Livella Restaurant for the last 18 years.
His business was not damaged by the fire, but the restaurant was filled with thick smoke.
“I haven’t closed in 18 years. Not even during COVID. I’ve survived all of this, all the ups and downs of the economy, so I don’t want to think about it,” he told CTV News.
Chuck says he cares most about the welfare of his employees.
“For me, I can start my insurance claim very soon. I should be able to. I hope it opens as soon as possible,” he said.
“Owning a restaurant is hard, we are just recovering from COVID so we need all the support we can get. This is a tough business.”
There was no information on the cause of the fire, but an investigator was called.
No one was injured in the fire.
