Man presumed dead, several homes damaged in northwest Calgary fire

A man is presumed dead Friday after fire engulfed two northwest Calgary homes and damaged several others. 

The Calgary Fire Department says crews responded around 12:20 p.m. to a fire on the 800 block of Citadel Way, in the city's Citadel neighbourhood. The flames appeared to have started in one home before spreading to one next door. 

The first firefighters on the scene found flames shooting out of the two homes and called for backup. Crews initially attacked the flames from the inside in order to search for anyone still in the homes. 

As the fire continued to grow, firefighters called for yet more help. At one point, 25 fire vehicles were on the scene, officials say.  

As conditions deteriorated inside the homes, crews retreated outside and attacked the blaze from the exterior, eventually knocking down the flames. 

One man is still missing and believed to have fallen victim to the fire, officials said, noting conditions are preventing searches of the basements. 

Both the home that originally caught fire and the one the flames spread to sustained significant damage and are considered uninhabitable for the near future. The radiant heat also damaged a number of nearby homes. 

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.