Damage is extensive following a house fire at 2025 Columbia Ave. in Castlegar on Thursday evening.
Fire chief Sam Lattanzio says one occupant and three dogs escaped unharmed and are now being cared for by emergency support services.
Although he had no dollar estimate on the damage, he said it is significant and will make the house uninhabitable for now. The cause is under investigation but it is not considered suspicious.
The fire is believed to have started on the south side of the building, around the carport, which was destroyed.
Nineteen firefighters responded.
It was the second major fire in Castlegar on the same day. A few hours earlier, the department was called to Stanley Humphries Secondary after a fire broke out in a gym light fixture.