Authorities found a body while responding to a house fire on Musqueam First Nation Friday.

The fire broke out in a home on the 4100 block of Tytahun Crescent near Southwest Marine Drive just before 10 a.m.

"We could see thick, black smoke coming out from out of the front of the house," said a witness named Rob.

Rob and a co-worker were working on a house down the street when the blaze broke out. They called 911 and knocked on neighbours' doors to warn them about the fire.

"A few minutes after that, we could see flames out the front and then we heard breaking glass because of the heat, I guess," he said.

Shortly after crews arrived on scene, the blaze was upgraded to a second-alarm fire, triggering a large response from crews.

"There was heavy smoke. Crews made an initial fire attack, went inside, tried to knock it down," said Assistant Operations Chief Dan Stroup.

A man identified by a witness as the homeowner showed up to the scene accompanied by a woman identified as his wife, but he did not want to speak to reporters.

Witnesses told CTV the couple was living there along with their adult daughter and her boyfriend.

Investigators have not revealed any details about the identity of the person found inside the home.

A cat and dog were rescued while another cat perished in the fire, Stroup said.

The blaze is believed to have started on the ground, but the exact cause is still unknown.

The home, a leaseholder property on Musqueam land, sustained extensive damage as a result of the fire.

So far, there is no indication that the incident was suspicious, according to Vancouver police.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber

 

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