1 man rescued, 2 homes damaged after fire in Saanich

One person was rescued and two homes were damaged after a fire broke out in a shed in Saanich on Thursday morning.

The Saanich Fire Department says crews responded to a call of a structure fire at 5 a.m. at a house on Cowper Street near Adelaide Avenue, after receiving multiple 911 calls.

Firefighters arrived to find neighbours using a garden hose to douse the shed that was fully engulfed in flames, reaching nearly 9 metres high.

The neighbours were concerned for the safety of a man still inside the house on the same property as the shed.

"There was concern that he was trapped, so we shifted to a rescue at that point," said Ryan Loyer Saanich Fire Captain.

"Once the individual was found and removed from the home then we made sure that both the occupants of the home involved, and the neighbours next door, were out because the flames were infringing on both the homes," he said.

Loyer says the fire was quickly extinguished in about 10 minutes, but both houses were damaged and the shed was burnt out.

The neighbouring house suffered extensive damage, including melted siding and broken windows, which could be seen from the street.

The damaged property is pictured on Sept. 15, 2022. (CTV News)

The shed owner's home had damage to the deck and roof at the back of the house, according to Loyer.

The fire captain says the blaze could have been much worse if it wasn't reported in time.

"Knowing the time of day, with the number of 911 calls, that there was a good chance this was the real deal," Loyer told CTV News.

"So we sent everybody and it was a good thing because it was potentially a rescue turned structure fire, as opposed to just a shed fire," he said.

The damaged property is pictured on Sept. 15, 2022. (CTV News)

The intensity of the shed fire was due to what was stored in the building.

"You typically have a lot of flammable materials in a heavy fire load in a shed, such as recycling paint, extra fire wood," said Loyer. "It was more than just a typical shed fire."

The cause of the fire is under investigate.