Five people were taken to hospital with smoke-inhalation issues after a fire destroyed one home and scorched two others in the Dawes Hill Road area early Wednesday morning.
Deputy fire chief Rod Gill told The Tri-City News that the blaze broke out shortly after 4 a.m. and that by the time crews arrived the home was fully engulfed.
"I would say we were probably called a bit late," he said. "Our response time was about five or six minutes The fire was well involved when we got the call."
A collapsing roof complicated the attack for the firefighters who were first on the scene. Gill said inspectors are still trying to determine whether the blaze started in the basement or outside the home. He could not confirm reports that a person in the house had been smoking before the fire started.
"With the condition of the house, it is really hard to determine the cause at this point," he said. "We are not sure whether the fire started on the inside or the outside or what floor yet."
Three people usually reside at the Dawes Hill residents, which is on the east side of Cape Horn Avenue, however four additional people had been visiting from Calgary at the time of the incident.
A handful of victims were treated for minor smoke inhalation issues at Eagle Ridge Hospital and later released.
The yellow home that sits to the west of the property where the blaze originated had only minor siding damage and the residents were allowed to return by Wednesday afternoon.
The home to the east side of the source property was a different story, Gill said.
Flames moved from the original fire to the neighbouring property and found a way into the ceiling of the single-family home. Firefighters were able to stop the blaze's spread, but the home endured significant damage and the residents have not been able to return yet, Gill said.
"The home [where the fire originated] and the home to the east - they will be out of their for a while," he added.
Homeowner Shawn MacWilliams told CTV News that the fire appeared to have been sparked in the basement, where his teenage son lives. He said it did not take long for the flames to travel throughout the structure.
""I got woken up around 3:30 or 4 a.m.," he said. "By the time I grabbed my clothes and got out, my curtains in the bedroom were on fire."
While all of the occupants escaped without serious injury, MacWilliams said the blaze destroyed many irreplaceable items from his home.
"I lost everything," he said. "I've got two Harley motorcycles in there, a friend's motorcycle, my clothes, pictures, family pictures from when I was a kid."
@GMcKennaTC
-with files from CTV News
