1 dead, 7 injured, 2 unaccounted for in north Edmonton apartment fire set by vehicle hitting gas line

One person is dead, seven were injured, and two residents remain unaccounted for in a north Edmonton apartment fire on Monday night that’s being described as a “mass-casualty event.”

The fire was started after a vehicle drove into the residential-commercial building on 132 Avenue and 82 Street, striking a gas line and triggering an explosion around 9:15 p.m.

“It immediately started to vent natural gas into the area, and there were efforts to try to move the vehicle, and that’s what likely created the explosion,” EPS Chief Warren Driechel told a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Eleven firefighting crews were on the scene after the first call came in, and a second alarm was declared five minutes later.

An 85-year-old man, believed to be a resident of the apartment complex, jumped from a balcony to escape the ensuing flames and later died of his injuries.

“Sadly one individual felt that was the course of action they needed to take to try and flee a very dangerous situation, and tragically that was the individual who succumbed to their injuries,” said Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) Fire Chief David Lazenby. “It was a very aggressive fire that was fuelled by the gas line, and as such there was no way out other than forward.”

Six other people who were inside the building were taken to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Chief Driechel said it could take a considerable amount of time — some 48 hours — before emergency services could access the building to attempt to locate the two unaccounted for residents and any pets.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in the structure,” Driechel clarified.

“Again, early stages, still trying to track down people through family members as well as business owners, landlords.”

The 62-year-old man behind the wheel of the vehicle was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, where he remains in stable condition. Driechel would not speculate on why the man drove into the building, but said Edmonton police are investigating several different possible offences.

“There’s several things we’re going to have to chase down in terms of this collision, and why this occurred,” he said.

Mass-casualty event

EPS Chief Driechel explained the fire was characterized as a mass-casualty event because of the sudden injuries and fatality that have the potential to “overwhelm the first responders on scene.”

“You’re requiring multiple transportation, multiple triage sites. You’re dealing with different degrees of injury, which then require us or EMS responding to different hospital sites across the city.

“It’s more about coordinating the response at the time, preserving evidence, understanding the scope of the incident, and just making sure all those bases are covered.”

Alberta Health Services tells CityNews a “code orange standby” was declared within what’s described as the Edmonton corridor.

“While hospitals were prepared for a potential increase in patients, a Code Orange was not called, and the Standby was stood down late yesterday,” a spokesperson explained in an email Tuesday.

‘People screaming and running’

David Gallinger, who lives in the neighbourhood, says he was at a nearby gas station when he heard a loud “bang” and “people screaming and running.”

“I thought, ‘oh, somebody got in a car accident.’ But it didn’t sound like a car accident. It didn’t sound right,” Gallinger told CityNews. “Looked over at the building and heard some kids yelling, ‘there’s a fire.’ And I could see there were flames coming up from the holes in the roof already. The convenience store was all smashed; there was glass on the ground everywhere and debris all over the place.”

The 16-suite building, home to 35 people, was evacuated. Twenty-one residents are currently receiving support from the Canadian Red Cross. Remaining residents were reportedly not in the building at the time.

Gallinger says he witnessed one person being rescued.

“There was a guy hanging out of a window with someone else standing on a forklift pallet propped against the building trying to help him down, but he couldn’t help him down, he couldn’t get him down,” Gallinger recounted. “He didn’t get down until the firefighters arrived.”

Multiple EFRS ladder trucks could be seen spraying the roof and various apartment units with water, trying to put out the flames. The three-storey apartment complex is a mixed-use building, with businesses on the ground floor.

Several police officers, paramedics and ambulances were on the scene.

The fire was deemed under control by 12:02 a.m.

A vast area was closed off, with police reminding people to stay back. A portion of 82 Street, between 137 Avenue and Yellowhead Trail, was closed in all directions Monday evening as a result, with drivers being asked to avoid the area. The street remained closed between 131 Avenue and 133 Avenue on Tuesday.

Edmonton firefighters were still on scene Tuesday morning actively fighting the fire.

–With files from James Dunn