Two people are in hospital after an overnight fire in the 600-block of Admirals Road in Esquimalt July 1.
Fire crews were called out around 8:45 p.m., said Esquimalt Fire Chief Chris Jancowski.
“We were initially concerned because the people didn’t exit on their own power, our crews had to rescue them,” said Jancowski.
The man and woman Jancowski said are most likely in their 60s had to be, “physically lifted and carried. (Firefighters) dragged both individuals out of the building.”
The occupants are both in hospital, one in Victoria and one in Vancouver. One of the two is in critical condition. An Esquimalt firefighter suffered a minor wrist injury during the incident but remained on the job.
The fire was knocked down quickly and crews remained on the scene putting out hot spots until 1 a.m.
“We spent a good couple of hours for the firefighters cleaning up hot spots, mostly due to the age and style of construction (of the building),” he said.
Jancowski hopes to get into the building tomorrow (July 3) to begin the investigation into the fire. “Nothing leads us to think it’s anything suspicious. I think we can accredit it to human activity, so far.”
The Fire Chief was not aware if there were working smoke detectors in the home at the time of the blaze.
The fire caused widespread damage to the approximately 1,600 square foot one-and-a-half story home.
“It’s significantly damaged, if not a total loss,” said Jancowski.
