A family in Aldergrove, B.C. that was getting ready to enjoy a barbecue over the long weekend had their festivities ruined when their backyard deck collapsed with nine people and two dogs on it.

Two of Breanna Wheeler's sons were injured when the wooden structure came crashing down on Sunday. Now, she wants to warn other homeowners before something similar happens again.

"My one son, he's nine. He just jumped up and down a couple times … and next thing you know it cracked and it collapsed and we ended up sitting on our chairs at the bottom," Wheeler told CTV News.

The two parents, one grandparent and six kids hurried off the deck because there were loose propane tanks from the gas fire pit and the barbecue.

Then, Wheeler realized her 13-year-old son had been burned by the hot rocks from the fire pit that fell on him. Her 11-year-old son was also bleeding from a gash on his leg.

Both boys will be OK after a six hour trip to the emergency room. She's grateful none of her kids were playing underneath the deck, where a patio table usually sits.

"It was really scary," she said. "Potentially, someone could have died."

The collapse also led to the discovery of holes and tunnels in the wood left behind by insects that Wheeler suspects were carpenter ants.

"You can see carpenter ants have been in chewing away at the deck over the years," she said. "It's something you can't see from the outside because it's covered."

Anwar Abid with Accurate Pest Control says this is the time of year when carpenter ants come out because of the warmer weather.

He also said there are some signs people can look for, such as trails of larger ants, sawdust and increased moisture in the wood.

"My advice to the homeowner is in the early summer they check all around their house," he said.

Wheeler said her family has previously replaced some components in the nearly 30-year-old deck. She had seen ants in the past, but not recently.

"If your deck is old, if you have any suspicions of anything, get somebody to check it out," she said. "Next time somebody else might not be [as] lucky as we were."

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber