A house fire in Surrey sent four people to hospital Sunday morning.
Two of those transported were in critical condition, according to British Columbia Emergency Health Services. Two others were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to neighbours, who looked on as firefighters and paramedics performed CPR, two of those injured were children, one a baby close to a year old and the other a toddler.
A total of 8 ambulances responded to the scene at 144A Street and 71 Avenue in the city's East Newton neighbourhood.
Surrey Fire Service initially responded with four trucks, but upgraded the fire to a second alarm after crews arrived, according to Deputy Chief John Lehmann.
Lehmann said crews arrived to see light smoke coming from the basement of the multi-unit building. Bystanders told firefighters there were people inside the basement suite, he said.
"We located three people inside the suite," Lehmann said. "Those people were removed from the scene and our crews and paramedics from the BC Ambulance Service rendered first aid to the victims."
Lehmann said all three people had "significant" injuries, though he didn't describe the nature of those injuries, or whether they were caused by flames or smoke.
Neighbours said they saw police at the house around 3 a.m. As of Sunday afternoon, Surrey RCMP had not said what prompted that visit several hours before the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Lehmann said the damage from the fire was confined to the basement suite.
The charred remains of a mattress and box spring were visible in the building's back yard, near a staircase leading down to the basement.
