Residents were evacuated from a block of townhouses in southwest Edmonton Wednesday morning as a fire spread rapidly through several homes.

Matt Pretty, a spokesperson for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, said crews remain in the area of 35th Avenue S.W. and Desrochers Boulevard S.W.

Images of the scene in the Desrochers neighbourhood show a wall of flames consuming several structures in the area as plumes of black smoke filled the sky.

As of Wednesday morning, crews continued to douse damaged homes at the Enclave townhomes development at 11910 35th Ave. S.W.  As of 9:30 a.m., 10 crews remained at the scene and Atco was working to shut off gas to the area.

In an interview early Wednesday, Pretty said several homes on the block, which includes a mix of finished and unfinished townhomes, sustained damage.

The call came in at 4:27 a.m. and the first crew arrived by 4:32 a.m., Pretty said. Further firefighters arrived throughout the morning with a total of 14 units dispatched to the scene, he said.

Pretty said all residents of the block were evacuated. They went to two city buses in a nearby school parking lot.

Officials say about 70 people have been provided lodging assistance by the Emergency Support Response Team. Some nearby buildings were evacuated because of concerns about natural gas. As of 11 a.m., residents had not been given the go ahead to return.

A total of 14 firefighter units were dispatched to the scene of a fire in the city’s southwest early Wednesday morning. (Rick Bremness/CBC)

As of 6:30 a.m., the fire remained active.

“We’re going to be on scene for quite a while, I think,” Pretty said.

“It’s certainly still a working fire. I’m sure it will be a working fire into the morning.”

No injuries have been reported.

In a traffic advisory issued at 6 a.m., Edmonton police urged drivers to avoid the scene. Roads in the area of 119th Street S.W. and 35th Avenue S.W. were closed as crews continued to battle the blaze.

In a statement Wednesday, officials with Edmonton Public Schools said Dr. Anne Anderson School would be closed for the day due to the nearby fire. Parents and students were urged to stay away from the area.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

“Hopefully, they’ll be able to find out a cause later today,” Pretty said.

The call came in at 4:27 a.m. and the first crew arrived by 4:32 a.m., said a spokesperson for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services. (Rick Bremness/CBC)