New building code kept fire from spreading, officials say
Flames gut Calgary house, but fire-retardant sheet rock credited with protecting others
Officials say the new building code requirement of fire-resistant sheet rock prevented a blaze in northwest Calgary from destroying more than one house.
There were no injuries when flames ripped through a house in Evanston early Friday morning.
Crews were called to the 300 block of Evanspark Garden just before 3:30 a.m. MT to find a two-storey house up in flames.
A woman in her 20s escaped uninjured with her cat. No one else was in the house.
The adjacent houses were evacuated for a few hours while crews fought the fire.
Houses on the street were built according to the new fire code, which includes fire-resistant sheet rock underneath the siding.
"This aided firefighters in keeping the fire confined to the building of origin," fire officials said.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.