A large fire broke out early Thursday morning in the Thetis Heights neighbourhood of Langford.
One family has been displaced, but fire officials said all five residents were able to get out safely.
The family dog was rescued on the lower level of the home by crews at the scene and was taken to a nearby veterinarian by RCMP. Officials are hopeful the animal will make a full recovery.
Emergency crews were called to Kestrel Ridge, just off Peacock Place, shortly after 5 a.m. with roughly 20 firefighters battling the blaze. Heavy black smoke and orange flames could be seen roughly 20 feet into the air when crews arrived and the heat from the fire severely damaged both vehicles parked in the driveway.
“It was a significant fire, when we arrived the fire was through the roof,” said Langford Fire Chief Chris Aubrey. “It’s pretty devastating for homeowners to have their entire livelihood [gone] – we’re not even talking about just their house, all of their vehicles have all been lost as well – so to be able to provide them with their family pet was very rewarding for us.”
Large house fire early Thursday morning in Langford on Peakcock Pl – More details to come #yyj 📸 by Shawn Waters pic.twitter.com/mMlv3T41k7
— Goldstream Gazette (@GoldstreamNews) June 7, 2018
When crews arrived, Aubrey said their first priority was preventing the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes and trees. “It doesn’t take much when a fire is this large, if there’s just a little bit of wind those embers could spread for quite a distance so to be able to get on this and get it knocked down was our number one priority.”
A number of small explosions could be heard coming from the fire, which Aubrey noted were likely from the vehicles. “This fire was very volatile to start off with and very aggressive,” he added.
Emergency Social Services is assisting the family as the home was destroyed in the fire. West Shore RCMP, B.C. Ambulance and B.C. Hydro were also on scene.
Fire crews still dampening any possible rekindling. #yyj #yyjnews pic.twitter.com/NWS654kDI2
— Goldstream Gazette (@GoldstreamNews) June 7, 2018
While Aubrey wasn’t sure what alerted the family to the fire, a working smoke alarm inside the home was still going off and he noted that could have been one of the contributing factors to the family getting out safely.
At this stage in the investigation, Aubrey said it appears the fire started near or in the garage of the home, but the cause is still under investigation. Firefighters have canvassed the neighbourhood for any photos and videos and will be talking to the homeowners later this morning about what they saw before crews arrived on scene.
