Laura McFarland and her three children had just moved into their new home in Aldergrove when a fire broke out.
It happened Saturday morning.
“There was three bangs at the very back,” McFarland told the Langley Advance Times.
“Then the tree in the corner of the house caught on fire and that basically spread over to my house, and within a few seconds the whole balcony was on fire and a few minutes [after that it] started coming inside our house.”
While she watched from across the street Saturday morning, the fire department continued to hose down the smouldering remains of her home, one of four houses damaged in the blaze on Springfield Drive near Davis Crescent.
“The house is destroyed,” McFarland said.
“We just lost everything and I just moved in here, so all the furniture is brand new. Now, it’s all gone.”
The family cat has gone missing, she added.
“I don’t know if she is alive or not.”
They will be spending the night in a hotel, courtesy of the fire department, McFarland said.
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Langley Township Assistant Fire Chief Dale Steeple said the first crews arrived on the scene at 9:26 a.m. in response to multiple calls about a residential structure fire.
“The first arriving crew had heavy flame in the rear of the building and they could see smoke through the front door, Steeple said.
“They started a quick knockdown on it, but it had already spread to the second house at that time.
The houses here are quite close together.”
three people were sent to hospital, two with minor burns and one with smoke inhalation trying to fight the fire, Steeple said.
Steeple said damage to three of the houses was extensive, and their occupants would have to be housed elsewhere.
Damage to the fourth house was relatively minor, and the residents would be allowed to stay in it.
“It’s a tough day to see people lose their houses,” Steeple commented.
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