Calgary's fire department is on scene in Arbour Lake where three houses caught fire early Sunday morning. Paul Frederick, battalion chief with the Calgary Fire Department, said crews were called to the northwest Calgary community around 4:30 a.m., Sunday, after receiving a number of phone calls about the fires and reports of explosions. He said three structures and multiple vehicles had caught fire, in the 200 block of Arbour Crest Drive, which may have been the source of the exploding sounds. It's believed there was one source of the fire, which spread to the other homes. Agustin Salinas said he was woken up by a call from his parents, and he rushed over to their home immediately. "I got a call at like 5 a.m., from my dad just saying everything is on fire. Come over," he said. "When I got here we had six or seven fire trucks around the corner, it was quite a show." Salinas said his mom broke two bones in her rush to flee the home. His 15-year-old brother Valentin woke up the family and got them to safety. "Honestly if it wasn't for him right now, I don't know what would have happened." Agustin Salinas, right, says his 15-year-old brother Valentin, left, woke the family up and got them to safety. (Helen Pike/CBC) Valentin said he woke up to the smell outside his window. "I was like, who's making barbecue at this time?" He stuck his head out the window, saw the flames and immediately woke everyone up and told them to meet outside of the home. Salinas said the Red Cross will put the family up in a hotel, and get them new clothes and food for a few days. Fire crews and investigators will be on scene all day, working to determine the cause of the fire, Frederick said. Eight people were safely evacuated from the homes, and the fires have been extinguished.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email The Calgary Fire Department responded to multiple house fires in the northwest community of Arbour Lake on Sunday. Crews were called to the area around 4:30 a.m. following several calls to 911 reporting flames coming from multiple homes and cars in the area. CFD confirmed three separate homes and vehicles were on fire when they arrived on scene. Eight residents were evacuated due to the fire, and one woman was taken to hospital for a minor injury, officials said. “They heard this huge noise so they ran out of the house, and unfortunately, I believe their mother tripped and fractured her ankle,” said Sarang Kumar, the son of one of the homeowners, describing how renters in the house got out. The cause is yet to be determined. Story continues below advertisement Borzu Toloui’s house was damaged by fire. “It looks like being in a catastrophe movie,” he said. “It’s the last thing you expect to see early in the morning, especially on a Sunday morning.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It looks like being in a catastrophe movie," he said. "It's the last thing you expect to see early in the morning, especially on a Sunday morning." There were also reports of explosions. “It was a dull thud,” said neighbour Charles Maclean. “I believe the first one was louder than all the ensuing ones. I’m going to say I heard five or six smaller explosions over the next little while.” – With files from Michael King Advertisement<doc-sep>
Article content Residents of three homes in the northwest were evacuated as flames tore through the community of Arbour Lake on Sunday morning. Fire crews were called to the 200 block of Arbour Crest Drive N.W. around 4:30 a.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls of “explosion and flame,” said Calgary Fire Department battalion Chief Stu Laird. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Crews battle blaze after 'explosion and flame' in Arbour Lake Back to video Laird said one home and multiple vehicles on the block were completely engulfed in flames when crews arrived, adding a neighbouring home was also beginning to catch fire. “The vehicle in front of (the home) was on fire, and the house to the right was just starting to get some exterior flames on it as well,” Laird said. A burned out mini van, pickup truck and car could be seen in front of the homes Sunday morning. Calgary Crews were able to quickly knock down the blaze, which Laird said was mostly contained to the exterior of the homes. An EMS spokesperson said one adult woman was injured and transported from the scene in stable condition, adding her injuries were “unrelated to the fire.” Laird said it’s unclear whether the fire originated inside the home or was sparked by one of the vehicles parked in front of the residence. “That’s what our investigators are still on scene trying to determine, but there is some damage,” he said. Occupants of two of the houses have been displaced and Laird said they would be unable to return home Sunday. RRumbolt@postmedia.com On Twitter: @RCRumbolt