Skip to content

Olds firefighters find malfunctioning furnace caused smoke in home

'Any disruption to a home heating system is a concern at this time of year,' says chief
mvtOlds Fire Chief Justin Andrew
Justin Andrew, chief of the Olds Fire Department, said the department responded recently to a complaint of smoke in a house. Photo submitted

OLDS — Seven firefighters responded to a rural home outside Olds on Feb. 10 for a complaint of smoke in the house. 

The call came in at about 2:55 p.m. The firefighters responded with a command unit, pumper and water tender. 

When they got there, they determined the cause to be a malfunctioning furnace motor. 

Fire chief and director of protective services Justin Andrew said they “quickly stabilized the situation.” 

Andrew said the extreme cold that day did not cause an issue for firefighters but was a concern for the residents. 

“Any disruption to a home heating system is a concern at this time of year, and extra attention was made to ensure the residents had qualified repair people available and en-route in a timely manner,” he wrote in an email. 

Andrew said each time firefighters go out on an emergency call, traffic and red lights can be an issue. 

“Each call is different and we experience these variations daily," he wrote.   

“It can be frustrating at times to be delayed by traffic when it occurs, but we understand that we as the emergency vehicle are the extenuating factor in a situation that no one intends to encounter on a daily basis, so if we can be understanding of that it is better for everyone involved.” 

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks