Nine people from two families have been displaced and a family dog is dead after a fire ripped through a View Royal home on Tuesday afternoon.
View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst said no people were home at the time of the blaze but a little dog died in the fire.
The house at 291 Island Hwy., just down the road from the View Royal Fire Hall, was completely gutted, said Hurst. Calls came into the fire hall as well as 911 and some people started banging on the fire hall doors as crews were preparing to respond.
“When we arrived the front window failed and the fire just took off, so it looks like it had been burning for some time,” Hurst said.
He said the fire started in the living room. The fire isn’t considered intentional and the cause is under investigation.
“It’s really sad these people have lost their home and their little dog,” Hurst said.
Hurst said 25 firefighters responded in five trucks from View Royal, Langford, Colwood and Esquimalt.
They hit the flames quickly, but the fire gutted both upper and lower suites in the home. Initially, Hurst said, it was believed there were people inside, so as soon as the flames were doused, firefighters went inside to search.
Hurst said the province’s Emergency Support Services program will be able to help the displaced residents with temporary accommodation and provide food and clothing vouchers.
“They lost everything,” he said.
West Shore RCMP also responded to the scene and closed Island Highway as firefighters laid water on the burning house. The highway reopened about 2:30 p.m.
