A family in Oshawa, Ont., is thankful for their smoke detectors after their home suddenly caught fire early Wednesday morning.
“We had a fire, we don’t know what caused it, but it’s quite damaged inside,” said homeowner Jacob Croft.
He was home at the time with his fiancée – asleep in the basement – when the smoke detector alerted him something was wrong.
“I just woke up to the smoke alarms going off. Saying hey, there’s a fire, we need to get out, we need to get out.”
Oshawa Fire Services were called to a home on Spring Water Crescent around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Deputy Fire Chief Todd Wood says when they arrived they discovered a home fully engulfed – with the occupants on the lawn outside.
“Crews discovered a structure with a garage that had heavy smoke and flames coming out of it.”
It appears the fire started in the garage, but at this time it’s not clear what caused it.
Damage could be seen throughout the home as the flames made their way through to the main level.
The homeowner says there were several things in the garage at the time, including a 1998 Camaro.
Fire officials say the cause is undetermined with the damage estimated to be around $750,000.
Croft said the event was a wake-up call, quite literally. Their smoke alarms are why they are still standing here today. He urges others to be sure they have alarms installed, or that the ones they have are in working condition.
“Make sure you have working smoke alarms. Ours saved our lives,” he says.