Edmonton fire crews battle early morning house fire in Rio Terrace

The smell of smoke filled the air in Edmonton’s Rio Terrace neighbourhood Friday, as fire crews dealt with a “stubborn” house fire.

Edmonton Fire Rescue Service received multiple calls reporting flames coming through the roof of the home near 156 Street and 78 Avenue, with crews dispatched at 7:18 a.m.

District Chief Darren Stolk says the home is currently under renovation, and luckily no one was living there at the time of the fire.

“It was kind of stubborn because it was into the attic space and vented through the roof,” Stolk told CityNews it took crews 45 minutes to get the difficult fire under control, unable to get inside because of where the fire was burning.

“You are kind of fighting from the exterior wherever you can access it. We cut holes in the gables to try to get it out in the ceiling.”

Fire investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire, but Stolk says the damage is extensive.

“The whole roof is burnt off, pretty much, and falling in, so definitely the top half of the house is gone, will have to be replaced. Definitely significant damage to the home.”