'Scary stuff': Family of 4 escapes Schurmans Point fire

A P.E.I. family of four and their dog escaped uninjured from a house fire Sunday afternoon, but the home they were renting is a writeoff.

Rodney Hickey, deputy chief of the Kensington Fire Department, said the call came in just before 4 p.m. Sunday. Four trucks were dispatched to the fire at Schurmans Point, across the harbour from Summerside.

The house was fully involved when the first truck arrived, said Hickey.

Video from fire that destroyed a home in Schurmans Point

6 years ago

Duration 0:14

Video from fire that destroyed a home in Schurmans Point

"Also, they had a propane tank that was up against the side of the house that had popped its safety valve and it had a flame shooting directly over the top of the house. So it was just like a big blow torch," he said.

I'm just happy everyone's okay, and I'm happy it happened when it did, and not at4 a.m.- Jake Reynolds

"It was quite a roar from it."

Firefighters were able to knock the fire down in about 10 minutes but the fire had already burned through to the attic. Hickey said the house will have to be bulldozed.

'They lost everything'

Owner Sinclair Walker and tenant Tim Reynolds were back on the scene of the fire Monday surveying the damage.

The whole family was home when the fire started.

"I came upstairs and saw the flames on the verandaand saw thatit was spreading quickly and so we just had to get out, basically," said Tim'sson Jake Reynolds.

"I wentdownstairs, came back up and at that point it was in the house and there was smoke filling the living room."

Walker said it was fortunate the fire didn't start at night when the family was sleeping.

"It's pretty scary stuff," Walker said.

"Those tenants, they lost everything,all their personal belongings.It's all gone."

"I'm just happy everyone's okay, and I'm happy it happened when it did, and not at4 a.m.," Jake said.

"I know we have insurance, so hopefully things will come around that way. But right now, I'm just thinking about my family."

Hickey said the family has found temporary accommodation. Most of their possessions were severely damaged by the fire.

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With files from Jessica Doria-Brown and Steve Bruce