Two homes were lost to fire after a blaze at Sheep River Place Sunday afternoon.
Fire crews responded to the call around 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 4, and arriving on scene they found one house already engulfed.
"One was fully involved, it was basically a firestorm with the wind kicking up," said Okotoks Fire Capt. Geoff Scott.
"Before we could even get water on it, it caught the left side on fire as well and within two minutes it (the second house) was fully consumed as well."
After ascertaining no people were in the homes, they began defensive efforts to prevent the fire from spreading further.
With a resources returning from a large 40 acre fire southeast of town prior to the call, Okotoks Fire Chief Trevor Brice said crews were immediately paged from neighbouring communities such as Black Diamond, Heritage Pointe, and even Calgary, but the latter department was stood down as the situation was brought under control.
"So we do defensive firefighting, get water on and protect the exposures," Brice said.
"That initial hit is when you need your effective firefighting force."
No people were in either of the two homes, he added, but one dog may be unaccounted for.
Both houses are completely destroyed, and adjacent homes on three sides suffered external damage.
Okotoks RCMP were advising bystanders avoid the area, specifically where the smoke is being blown.
Residents were also asked to avoid using unnecessary water for the time being, said RCMP Cpl. Chris Hrynyk, as it is currently impeding fire crews water supply.
As of 6:30 p.m. firefighters were tackling hot spots and a fire inspector will begin investigating.
