A family has been left homeless just before Christmas following an early-morning fire Friday, Dec. 23.
The blaze in a house located just off the Malahat Highway, left the structure "a total write off," according to Malahat Fire Chief Rob Patterson.
The residents were at home at the time, but both they and their pets got out all right, with only one person needing to be taken to hospital with smoke inhalation, the fire chief said.
The call came in to his department at 4:10 a.m. and six to eight firefighters were called out; they were assisted by Langford Fire Department, who were on scene with mutual aid.
"We're glad they were there," Patterson said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.