Traffic was temporarily blocked on Cloverdale Avenue in Saanich early Sunday evening as fightfighters put out a bedroom fire in a two-storey house.
The two residents who rent the wood-framed house, a man and a woman, are both safe.
Saanich firefighters believe the fire began when the occupants knocked a lamp over onto some clothing, which eventually ignited.
A neighbour alerted the occupants to the fire after seeing heavy smoke coming out the bedroom window at 988 Cloverdale Ave. While the occupants were home, Saanich firefighters said the two were apparently unaware of the fire because smoke detectors did not sound.
The male tenant was treated on scene for minor smoke inhalation and advised to follow up at the hospital.
“The man stayed in the house a little to long to try and put out the fire himself,” Saanich firefighter Lt. Rob Jones said.
Eighteen firefighters responded, with support from Saanich police and Emergency Health Services.
Damage to the home was minimal, said Jones, who estimated it in the range of $2,500 to $5,000.
Saanich firefighters recommend that the public check their smoke detectors.
“We’re advising the residents and everyone out there to have operational smoke detectors in all levels of their homes,” Jones said.
