A family of five and their dog escaped a massive fire that destroyed their Langford home early Thursday morning.

Around 20 firefighters were called to a home on Kestrel Ridge just after 5 a.m. for a report of a residential structure fire, and they arrived to find flames shooting through the roof.

Langford Fire Chief Chris Aubrey said crews immediately labeled the blaze as volatile and aggressive.

"The flames were probably above the trees behind us, so we're talking 20 feet in the air as the first crews were arriving," said Aubrey. "There was a lot of explosions going off. It probably was related to the vehicles in the garage and in the driveway."

Despite heavy flames and smoke, crews managed to prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes or nearby trees.

"We managed to get enough resources on scene to be able to stop the fire from spreading to the nearby houses, but unfortunately the house behind us is a loss," said Aubrey.

All occupants of the home got out safely but there were tense moments as the family worried for their pet dog, which was trapped in the structure.

Remarkably, firefighters managed to rescue the dog nearly an hour after flames first broke out and used a specialized pet oxygen mask on it.

fire crews pet mask

A pet oxygen mask is used on a dog rescued from a raging fire in Langford. June 7, 2018. (Courtesy Langford Fire) 

"Obviously it's pretty devastating for homeowners to have their entire livelihood, we're not even talking about just their house, all their vehicles have all been lost as well," said Aubrey. "So to be able to provide them with their family pet was very rewarding for us."

Aubrey said working smoke alarms likely woke up occupants of the home and alerted them to the fire.

Emergency Social Services was on scene to assist the family, which is now without a home. Paramedics and BC Hydro crews also attended,

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but it appears to have originated in the garage area, investigators said.

They were canvassing neighbours for pictures and videos of the fire and said they'd be speaking with the homeowners later in the day.