UPDATE: Quispamsis house fire leaves two homeless

No one was injured but two people won’t be returning home any time soon after a house fire in Quispamsis Friday evening.

Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department Chief Shawn White said the department got the call around 8 p.m. to a structure fire on Hampton Road near the Quispamsis Memorial Arena.

“There was a large amount of fire on the back of the home that had extended up into the attic,” White said.

He said crews knocked down the exterior fire quickly, but it took some time to get into the attic and extinguish the fire there.

“It was a stubborn fire because of the fact it was stuck inside the attic space of the home,” he added.

White said it looked like the fire had started in the rear deck area of the house and was likely caused by some kind of open burning.

The exact cause is still being investigated, but White said it doesn’t appear to be suspicious.

White said two people in the home were able to get out safely thanks to some passersby who saw the smoke and alerted the residents.

White said that even if you have a contained fire pit, it’s better to not take a chance when the province is enforcing burn bans.

“They can control the sparks pretty well,” he said. “But there are times that the spark may be able to get out and start something.”

Traffic was diverted around the scene for several hours while crews worked inside and outside the house.