A long-abandoned house on Cowichan Lake Road in North Cowichan burned down in a massive fire on Sunday night.
South End volunteer firefighters were called to the scene at 3214 Cowichan Lake Rd. around 9:30 p.m. The house was already fully engulfed in flames when the first calls came in.
"It was going pretty good," said South End fire chief Scott Henning, who was the first firefighter there.
About 30 responders were on the scene, and had the flames knocked down relatively quickly.
The house hadn't been lived in for years, but witnesses said it was a party site for local youths.
Henning wasn't surprised to see it fall victim to flames.
"It had been vacant for many years," he said. "It's one of those things that are always a high risk."
The investigation remains ongoing.
Besides the fire on Sunday night, the South End hall hadn't been busy recently, Henning noted.
"It's been a nice, quiet start to the new year," he said.