Lethbridge fire investigates blaze that took out 3 houses on Boxing Day

A massive fire that engulfed and destroyed three Lethbridge homes on Boxing Day — causing damage of around $2 million — continues to be investigated.

A city councillor who lives right across the street from the fire says it all happened in about five to seven minutes on Boxing Day in the early afternoon.

"It was pretty intense," Mark Campbell told CBC News in an interview Wednesday.

"I was feeling such heartache for the people in those houses."

Campbell knew the family that lived across the street.

"My neighbours directly across from me, I was in this house while he was still building it 40-some years ago. We've been through an awful lot together. Our families have grown up," he said.

A platoon chief with the city's fire service says the precise cause isn't known at this time.

"It will be a lengthy process," David Heatherington told CBC News.

"The temperature was rather mild, it was only minus two or three degrees. It's the wind that pushes the fire from house to house and makes the job for the firefighters that much more difficult."

Heatherington said there were no injuries, including among firefighters.

"It was a very tense situation. People were quite worried about the three homes that were burned and they were quite worried should the fires spread to homes further down the block, or even fires starting across the street from hot embers flying through the sky."

Two families and six teenagers from a group home have been relocated while insurance companies start their work.