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CALGARY – Firefighters responding to a possible house explosion in the community of Sandstone Valley on Tuesday arrived to find an unusual situation.

Crews were called to a home along Sanderling Hill N.W. around 4:30 p.m. by someone driving through the area.

“[They] saw the debris on the front yard, and assumed that it was an explosion,” says the Calgary Fire Department’s Paul Leblanc.

It turns out the house was packed with personal belongings and garbage.

“This is a house that is normally like this, and has been looked at by bylaw [officers] a few times” explained Leblanc. “Basically it’s a person who has a messy front yard.”

The house was so full of garbage that firefighters actually donned hazmat masks to inspect it.

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Firefighters say the homeowner wasn’t in the house at the time.

“We’ve assessed the house; we’ve gone through and made sure there is nobody in the home,” says Leblanc.

It’s unknown if the homeowner will face bylaw charges.