VICTORIA -- Victoria firefighters rushed to a home on Wednesday night and arrived to find flames shooting out of the building.
Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson says the fire department received multiple 911 calls at 11:15 p.m. for heavy smoke and flames showing on the backside of a residence on Shelbourne Street.
"Our response time was fantastic, we were on scene five minutes and three seconds after dispatched out," said Atkinson.
Nearby neighbours say they noticed a glow coming from their windows.
"I just walked into my kitchen and there was this strange kind of orange glow," said neighbour Nina Sihota. "I didn’t hear anything but I saw the glow and looked out my window and flames were shooting from the balcony there."
Other people living nearby also rushed outside and saw the inferno burning very close to their homes.
"A stunned feeling of, 'Oh my goodness,' and then a second later calling 911 to report it," said Sihota.
Atkinson says there were approximately six people at home when the fire started.
"There are a couple of different suites in the property," he said. "We were able to contain the fire to the suite of origin."
A woman living in the building, who did not want to be named, said she noticed a light coming from her bedroom.
"It was really bright orange," she said. "I went to check if I left the light on and then I smelled the fire and the alarms started going off as soon as I opened the door and I could see the fire and it was really hot and smoky in my room."
She lives next door to where the fire started and says her home now has smoke damage.
"No injuries reported by any of the occupants," said Atkinson.
"This is a good news story from a smoke detector perspective," he said. "All occupants of the property were alerted to the fire with working and properly functioning smoke detectors."
Preliminary investigations by firefighters indicate the fire started on an outside patio area.
"The fire appears to be accidental in nature, most likely caused by an open flame device or possibly improperly discarded smoking materials," said Atkinson.
The tenants staying in the unit did not have tenant insurance. The damage is estimated at $250,000 and the owner of the building tells CTV News the property is just three years old.
"Definitely not expecting to see that in your backyard," said Sihota.
Firefighters say six residents of the home are unable to return to the property for the foreseeable future.
The residents were given contact information for Emergency Social Services, but officials believe that all occupants of the home are currently staying with family or friends at this time.
