The Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department has given some more details regarding Friday (May 5) morning's fire on Boxwood Bend and Acadian Wynd.
Fire chief Todd Martens revealed that the department got the call at about 1 a.m. and had 13 firefighters, including some from Strathcona County, on the scene to fight the blaze.
"We initially responded with our full-time engine and a call out for paid-on-call staff," said Martens. "The fire was under control around 6:30 a.m., about five hours it took for us to extinguish it."
Two of the houses were completely engulfed in flames by the time fire crews got to the scene. The fire eventually spread to a third home. All three structures were lost while a fourth was damaged.
Fire crews were unable to shut off the gas to the homes manually as the fire melted away the gas valves, so a back truck was called in to do so.
Martens added that all three families in those houses were able to escape without injury and that the surrounding homes were also evacuated.
"Everybody was woken up abruptly," said Martens. "There were two kids that ran around knocking on doors to tell people to evacuate."
It is not yet known if there were any pets that died in the fire.
A fire investigator is on the scene and no cause of the fire has been determined.
The Fort Falcons Football Club has set up a fundraiser for the families involved, which can be found here.
The City of Fort Saskatchewan also indicated that donations for the families can also be made to Red Cross as well as Twice But Nice.