Calgary Fires: Response Times Strain Under Pressure

CALGARY — Five structure fires in 24 hours. Five different neighborhoods. Calgary's firefighters are running flat out, and the city's boom-town growing pains are showing up in smoke and flame.

The Calgary Fire Department knocked down blazes in Pineridge, Silver Springs, Martindale, Westgate, and Bowness between Wednesday and Thursday—a string of calls that laid bare what Fire Chief Steve Dongworth has been warning about for months: The city is outgrowing its firehouses.

Two people were checked out by paramedics after a basement fire in Martindale. Everyone else walked away clean. But luck only stretches so far.

The Math Isn't Adding Up

Calgary threw $44 million in operating cash and $50 million in capital money at the fire department through the 2023-2026 budget cycle. City Council greenlighted 116 new firefighters in 2024 to stop the burnout bleed. Another $50 million is locked in for four new stations—South Shepard, Belmont, Haskayne, Walden—plus a rebuild in Forest Lawn.

Still not enough. Call volumes have jumped 50% since 2020, according to the CFD's 2024 Annual Report. Response times? They've slipped by roughly a minute over the past year, now clocking in around 13-14 minutes for serious incidents. That's the difference between contained and catastrophic.

Dongworth has gone on record: His crews are struggling to keep pace. Jamie Blayney, president of the Calgary Firefighters Association (IAFF Local 255), isn't mincing words either—his members are stretched, and the strain is real.

One Night, Five Fires

The Pineridge blaze broke out in an empty house mid-renovation, flames chewing through the ceiling and attic. Over in Silver Springs, fire jumped off an exterior deck—crews had to help a senior resident out the door. The Martindale call sent two people to EHS after fire tore through basement contents. In Westgate, a walk-in closet went up while the house sat empty. Then Bowness: a roof fire made messier by layers of renovation work—false ceilings, hidden spaces, the kind of chaos that eats time and manpower.

Investigators are still picking through all five scenes. The cold didn't freeze equipment or slow the response, but it didn't make the job easier either.

What Happens Next

The CFD is asking residents to stay clear of active fire scenes, keep anything flammable at least one meter from heat sources, test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly, and run through home escape plans twice a year. Standard advice. The subtext: Don't count on a six-minute response when the city's on fire in five places at once.