9 people forced from Surrey home after it was destroyed in fire

VANCOUVER -- A major fire destroyed a Surrey home Thursday, displacing nine people.

The fire tore through a home near 76th Avenue and 184th Street. 

While crews worked to extinguish the blaze, most of the structure was destroyed by 6 p.m.

"When (crews) arrived they had a fully involved structure, smoke and flames visible, so they went with a defensive attack and knocked the fire down," Deputy Fire Chief Jason Cairney told CTV News.

There were at least a dozen trucks and 20 crew members on scene. 

Cairney said the cause of the fire is unknown and crews were on scene Friday investigating. 

Even though one person suffered from minor smoke inhalation, everyone else was safe. 

"The residents did report that they were alerted to the fire through the smoke alarms operating," he said. 

"That's always our message is that have and check your smoke alarms to make sure they're working and that it can save lives by alerting you to the fire."