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millarville 'lottery house' destroyed by fire
the millarville lottery dream home has gone up in smoke...
aug 5 2023
3 minute read
all that remains of a millarville dream home owned by alla wagner that captured the attention of the world in 2019 is this burnt-out structure.
josh aldrich
/
postmedia network
the millarville lottery dream home has gone up in smoke.
the house at 12 millarville landing was the source of global intrigue in 2019 when its owner, alla wagner, put the home up in a world-wide raffle at $25 a ticket after failing to sell the property for $1.7 million. the lottery did not pan out.
on friday morning, her next-door neighbour heard screaming and saw smoke coming out of an upper-floor window, and within hours the house was completely destroyed.
“i quickly called 911,” said the neighbour. “thank goodness the people that live there got out of the house. the first fire truck showed up but by then it was already pretty much in flames, and the rest is history.”
wagner still lived at the house with her son and both got out safely.
turner valley rcmp are assisting the fire department in the investigation, but it is unclear at this point if it is suspicious.
rcmp arrived on scene at 8:43 a.m. with the fire department already there and cpl. troy savinkoff said “the house was fully engulfed and is a total loss. it is a significant structure.” he added the cause of fire is yet to be determined.
diamond valley fire department did not return a request for comment prior to publication.
with high winds blowing in the morning, the neighbour quickly started soaking the side of her own home with a hose to ensure it did not catch fire as well.
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she had been wagner’s neighbour for about five years and said they were quiet, but good neighbours, though she rarely saw them.
dorianne varty was alerted to the fire by a phone call from another neighbour. at first she did not see any fire at wagner’s house but eventually saw smoke coming out of the vents, and then she heard the fire trucks.
she said it took about three hours for the firefighters to get the blaze under control, but by that time the roof had caved in and the second floor appeared to be gone. a security guard was still posted there saturday morning to ensure it did not spark up again.
varty said she was relieved when she saw wagner waiting outside in her car when she went out to see what was happening and to make sure their house was ok.
she has lived next door to wagner for 15 years and had been over to the house a number of times. she said the house was filled with ornate wood detailing, from the floors to the walls and moulding throughout. wagner had told her much of it was imported.
“i told a firefighter this and he said, ‘that’s why this is being so difficult to fight,'” said varty.
after an injury in 2018, alla wagner came up with an idea she had hoped would allow her to downsize to a smaller, accessible space. as part of the “write a letter, win a house” competition, wagner asked entrants to compose an explanation, up to 350 words, to explain why they should win the contest and why they would be happy to live there.
ken zacharias
/
calgary
wagner built the 3,800 square-foot luxury home as an escape to the peace and calm of the foothills with sweeping views of the rocky mountains.
“every window you look out of in this house is heaven,” wagner told postmedia in 2019 .
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a fall in 2018, however, left her confined to the upstairs of the home and led her to putting the house up for sale. due to a down economy and slumping housing market, the house did not sell at the $1.7-million price tag and so she pivoted to the unusual method of attempting to off-load the home in a lottery at $25 per ticket along with letters a requirement from potential new owners. the letters were to then go to a panel to decide who should get the house.
the house has been listed multiple times since then, including being pulled from the market as recently as a month ago with a $1,249,900 price.
twitter: @joshaldrich03
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