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Edmonton Condo Fire Leaves Hundreds Homeless For Now

Cigarette Butt Sparks Massive Condo Fire

Video From Global EdmontonEDMONTON - About 400 people were forced from their homes when an overnight fire tore through an Edmonton condo complex.

The Red Cross and transit buses were brought in to aid evacuees after flames broke out in the four-storey building and had reached the roof by time firefighters arrived.

Crews tried to enter the building, but a second alarm was called in about 15 minutes later as ceilings started to collapse.

The fire was brought under control about two hours later, but the centre of the structure was heavily damaged.

CTV News reports almost one-third of the units were damaged or destroyed.

“Early indications are that it’s a improperly disposed of smoking material,” Edmonton District Fire Chief Don Cherniawski told Global News.

“It’s become a bit of a problem in the past. People don’t realize that these kind of things happen quite regularly.”

Karen Burgess, a spokeswoman for Edmonton Fire Rescue, says everyone who lives in the building was accounted for but one person was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.

According to CBC News, damages are estimated at $8 million.

It is not known how many tenants will be allowed to return back to the building, or when.

With files from the Canadian Press

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