A home in Oaklands sustained heavy damage from a fire; however, Victoria firefighters were able to mitigate the overall damage.
According to the Victoria Fire Department, at around 2:40 a.m., firefighters were dispatched and confirmed the blaze at 2226 Shakespeare Street.
Behind the initial crew on scene came several more crews and firetrucks to aid in extinguishing the flames.
“Upon arrival, Battalion Chief Kirkendale assumed Incident Command and conducted a size-up. Smoke and flames were visible on the upper level at the rear of the residential home,” wrote the Victoria Fire Department in a social media post.
“It was quickly established that all residents had safely exited the house, and fire operations commenced.”
Firefighters say they wasted no time deploying a line to apply water from the exterior, thereby confining the flames until interior attack crews could enter the structure.
Crews were eventually able to access the second floor through an external stairway, where they located the fire source and began attacking it from inside.
The Victoria Fire Department says most of the ceiling on the upper-floor had to be removed to ensure the fire did not spread.
This fire was called in by a neighbor who smelled smoke and called 911.
After speaking with a dispatch operator, the neighbour was eventually able to confirm that flames were visible and a response was sent to the scene.
Victoria Fire Inspectors remain on scene to conduct a thorough investigation into what caused the fire.
All occupants were able to evacuate safely, there were no injuries reported and the building was able to be largely saved, despite heavy interior and exterior damage.
