Northwest Calgary fire destroys 2 homes

Fire destroyed two homes in northwest Calgary early on Saturday, but no one was injured in the blaze.

At 12:30 a.m., firefighters responded to a call in Royal Oak and found two homes engulfed in flames. More than a dozen neighbouring homes were evacuated as a precaution.

"It was around midnight, I was just watching the news, actually the Fort McMurray update and then saw the fire trucks pulling up pretty fast with ambulance and police. I looked out the bay window and just saw flames anywhere from 10 to 20 feet above the house," said neighbour John Caetano.

'It was surreal'

He was one of many neighbours on the street on Saturday hugging and helping support each other.

"It was chaos for about 10 or 15 minutes with everyone trying to get organized and grabbing their belongings," he said.

"Helicopters were flying around and announcements were being made to get out of your house because of smoke. It was surreal."

He said he's grateful the families who live in the two homes got out safe, including the children and pets, but said he "couldn't imagine what they're going through, what their thoughts are right now."

Caetano said the families affected by the fire all have relatives in town.

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