Two people were sent to hospital after a fire at a two-storey duplex in Dartmouth that began Thursday night.
The blaze broke out at around midnight at 55 and 57 High Street. Deputy Fire Chief Roy Hollett said in an interview that fire crews were called at 11:09 p.m.
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“I looked out my kitchen window on the side and when I saw the flames, I was scared, and I just wanted to make sure everybody was OK,” Robyn Cormier, a neighbour, said.
According to the Canadian Red Cross, a woman broke her ankle while jumping from a second-floor window. She was treated and released overnight but her mother remained in hospital for treatment of other injuries as of Friday morning.
Two adults and three children escaped unharmed from the lower unit.
The cause is being investigated and officials believe the fire started inside.
Two dogs and two cats died from smoke inhalation, Hollett said.
Dan Bedell, a spokesperson for the Canadian Red Cross, said the family from the first storey has already been helped out.
“Our volunteers have assisted them now with emergency lodging through the weekend, and we’ve also arranged to help them with some purchases of clothing and food and some other basic essential items,” he said in an interview in Dartmouth.
The women from the other unit are also receiving assistance, he added.
With files from Steve Silva, Global News