The residents of a New Westminster home that went up in flames overnight tried in vain to minimize the damage before finally fleeing to safety, according to witnesses.
The fire broke out at small, wood-frame house on Wilson Street in the city's Sapperton neighbourhood around 10 p.m. Monday.
Neighbours told CTV News they saw and smelled smoke coming from the property, and Dre Weiss, who lives next door, rushed over to alert the people living inside.
"I could see the flames coming up the side of the house," Weiss said. "I just ran up the steps and started pounding on the door."
Weiss said the residents were already aware of the fire and were trying to extinguish the flames themselves, but gave up when they realized how quickly their home was being engulfed.
"I don't think they were aware quite how fast the fire was moving. Once one of them came out and saw what I saw, then they all evacuated," Weiss said.
Fortunately, firefighters were able to arrive at the scene within minutes of receiving the call, and there's a fire hydrant directly in front of the property.
Crews used ladders to attack the flames through the upper-floor windows and were eventually able to extinguish the blaze. There were no injuries, though the home was gutted.
It's unclear how the fire started, but Weiss said one of the residents looked outside and saw flames coming from their garbage cans. Authorities have not commented on whether they believe the incident to be suspicious.
After everyone escaped, Weiss said made sure his own family was safe then tried to help his neighbours keep warm inside his car, as some of them were only wearing bathrobes.
"It just seems terrible – their whole lives, everything's in [the house]," he said. "What do they do now?"
With files from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim
