VICTORIA -- A massive fire has destroyed a home in Lake Cowichan.

Firefighters were still on scene late Friday afternoon on Mountain View Drive, where a neighbour says he heard fire trucks coming up the street around 11 a.m.

Lake Cowichan fire

“I walked out my front door and four houses down, it’s fully engulfed,” said resident Clayton Parker.

Parker said the house is occupied by a woman, her teenage foster son, a dog and some birds.

Lake Cowichan fire

The neighbour said the people and the dog made it out safely but he believes the birds did not.

Video from the scene shows multiple fire crews battling the blaze into the afternoon.

The home is a single-storey structure in the front, but stretches into four storeys in the back with the slope of a hill.

Lake Cowichan fire

The Lake Cowichan Fire Department is expected to provide more details Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.