A Surrey family is both devastated to have lost their home and grateful they weren't hurt in the blaze that consumed it.
Naga Tadikonda said his family went to bed around 10 p.m. on Wednesday (July 20), then was woken up by a barking dog in a downstairs suite at about 3:45 a.m.
He went down to investigate and saw fire coming out of the basement suite.
Tadikonda immediately woke his family and got them out of the house. He said it took firefighters about five minutes to get to the home at 63 Avenue and 147B Street.
When they arrived, fire was burning through the roof and more trucks were called in.
"Really fast, really fast," Tadikionda told The Leader. "I don't know what the reason is being that."
The fire was extinguished fairly quickly, firefighters say, however, the home experienced extensive damage.
Nearby homes also suffered some scorch damage.
As of Thursday at about noon, Tadikonda wasn't sure where he was going to stay the night.
"No, have no idea, I just contacted my insurance company," he said. "They told me they would contact me back."
The downstairs tenant wasn't home when fire crews and police arrived.
The police called her boyfriend, only to learn the two had broken up two days before, according to Tadikonda.
It turned out she had been staying with a friend and showed up at the home in the morning.
The investigation continues.