A rude awakening awaited Carol Kaehn when police knocked on her door Sunday (Aug. 14).
In the middle of the night, Kaehn was alerted to massive plumes of smoke around the area of 99 Avenue and 104 Street in Fort Saskatchewan.
"I woke up at 2:45ish; my daughter came into the bedroom and woke me up and said, "mom, mom, police are at the door!" So, I went running downstairs to the door, and the officer was pretty much yelling because it was just so loud," she explained.
According to RCMP, someone was seen fleeing the Fort Smiles Dental and Kids Fort Child & Out of School Care building just before it caught fire.
"The officer [told us] the building across the street is fully engulfed in flames, and we just need to shelter in place for now, but be prepared to evacuate."
According to Kaehn, the fire was completely put out at roughly 6:30 a.m.
Many people in the neighborhood claimed to have seen the heavy, billowing smoke. Joanne Oystrek, who lives three blocks away from the scene, noticed smoke that didn't smell like it was coming from a usual backyard campfire and immediately suspected something was wrong.
"I see the plume of smoke – so I get on my bike and go the back way through the sidewalks, and then everything unfolded. I see the Fort Smiles Dental awning on the ground and the fire trucks going. The smell was unreal," she said.
Police were knocking on homes to make sure neighbours closed their windows to get away from the smoke.
Fort Smiles Dental and Kids Fort Child & Out of School Care were completely destroyed in the fire. The businesses were empty, and no injuries were reported in the incident.
Police are investigating the fire as arson and ask anyone with information about the incident, including any video doorbell or surveillance cameras, to contact the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP detachment at (780) 997-7900. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers.
RCMP do not have a description of the alleged suspect.