One person was in hospital the day after an early morning fire Thursday, June 6, a few doors down from 91原创 City's Nicomekl Elementary.

Nearby resident C.J. Muralt was awakened about 1:37 a.m.

"I woke to people screaming, and it was within 20 minutes of that, that the first explosion went off, and the other loudest one was probably another 15 to 20 [minutes later]," Muralt said.

A home was destroyed, but the five occupants escaped, said City Fire Rescue chief Scott Kennedy.

"Five people were in the residence at the time all managed to self-evacuate from the fire," he said Thursday afternoon. "Two of those individuals went to the hospital. One was checked out and released. One is still in the hospital."

Flames were through the roof when fire crews arrived at the house in the 20100-block of 53 Avenue.

"Fire was heavily involved on the second floor," he said.

Kennedy said there was enough radiant heat from the fire to start the houses on either side to start smoking but crews cooled them. The neighbouring houses have minor damage.

"But the initial house is probably close to a write-off," he said.

The crews, about 15 firefighters, were needed for the blaze, and firefighters were on scene until about midday Thursday mopping up and making sure there were no hot spots.

"The insurance company and our fire investigator are working together currently to determine what the cause," Kennedy said.

Four of the people that were evacuated from the fire are being helped by the Personal Disaster Assistance (PDA) program, and were being accommodated with either relatives or a hotel under emergency social services division of the fire department, he explained.

The neighbours came together to do what they could, and fire crews arrived quickly to extinguish the fire, Muralt said.

Muralt added that there were several people yelling and knocking on the door to the home before emergency crews arrived and heard people saying things such as 鈥淭here could be someone still in there!鈥�,  鈥淕rab the garden hoses. We need to help!鈥� and 鈥淚 hear a dog!鈥� 

Also heard was "Where鈥檚 911? Call them again", "Look at the flames. It鈥檚 going to catch the other house now."

"Then it was at that point I could hear the sirens in the distance," Muralt said.