Three residents escaped a blaze that turned a house near East Sooke Regional Park into “a ball of fire,” said East Sooke Volunteer Fire Department Chief Carl Neilson.
“When we first arrived on scene, we had half the house completely involved with just huge, huge flames,” Neilson said.
The Jupiter Place house on an acreage backing onto East Sooke Regional Park was destroyed by the fire, reported about 9:30 p.m. Thursday. It was largely knocked down within an hour but crews had to continue working on it until about 2 a.m. Friday, Neilson said.
Firefighters also extinguished spot fires sparked by embers spreading.
A small crew was left at the site until replacements arrived later in the morning.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
The Sooke, Metchosin and Otter Point fire departments assisted, he said. “We could not have done it without them.”
