Steep hill hampers fire crews as house under construction burns

Investigators are trying to determine what caused a fire that damaged a house under construction in northeast Calgary early Tuesday morning, after efforts to battle the blaze were hampered by the steep slope.

When fire crews arrived at the house overlooking Bottomlands Park, in the 600 block of 13A Street N.E., it was engulfed in flames.

Firefighters attacked the flames outside and inside the house, but crews were forced to abandon the interior when they realized the main floor had been compromised, the fire department said in a release.

Crews continued to use aerial ladders to battle the blaze, but because the house is on a steep hill, the difference in grade between the front and back and limited access to the rear made it difficult to fight the fire, officials said.

A fireinvestigator was called in to determine the origin and cause of the blaze, which broke out at about 12:50 a.m. Tuesday.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS|Calgary approves $1.8B in capital spending for 2017, using reserves to blunt tax hike
• MORE CALGARY NEWS|'He probably was in pain': Woman raises alarm on scam selling fake hairless cats