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House destroyed by late-night fire

There's very little left of the house that stands at 4912 46 St. except for the charred exterior, after a fire gutted the inside of...
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Three firefighters spray water into a burning Stettler house through a broken window late on Tuesday

There's very little left of the house that stands at 4912 46 St. except for the charred exterior, after a fire gutted the inside of the building late Tuesday night, Oct. 11.

According to neighbours, the fire was first visible in the basement, but quickly worked its way up through the derelict house, which had been deemed unsafe in which to reside by the health inspector.

Launa Doucette, who lives three houses down from the site of the fire, was alarmed when she smelled smoke wafting through her home.

"(I) smelled smoke in the house," she explained. "I looked outside, and couldn't see a thing, so I went to the back, thinking maybe my garage was on fire."

With nothing in sight, but the reflecting lights of emergency vehicles flashing against the side of her home, Doucette went out front.

Firefighters arrived at the burning home shortly after 9:30 p.m., and were there until 9:30 a.m. the next morning, according to Deputy Fire Chief Etienne Brugman. He, along with Fire Chief Mark Dennis, are investigating the cause of the fire.

Firefighters were at the fire most of the night, as the fire had quickly wound its way into the walls. Inside the home, different portions of the interior had collapsed as fire burned through the derelict building. Due to the unsafe nature of the interior, firefighters could only fight the fire from outside the building, breaking windows and cutting holes through which to douse the raging flames, Brugman explained.

"We weren't going to risk anyone's safety," he said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Brugman said it was too early to know if the fire was an accident or deliberate. It gutted much of the building, rendering an already uninhabitable home absolutely unsafe, he confirmed.

"'Why did it happen? What made it happen?' We always want those answers," he said as they try to get to the bottom of the incident.