A major fire severely damaged a two-storey residence in St John’s on Wednesday morning, prompting a rapid response from local fire crews.

Inspector Lester Bagot, Public Relations Officer of the Fire Department, confirmed that the St John’s Fire Station received an emergency call at around 8:23 a.m. alerting them to a house engulfed in flames.

“Firefighters quickly deployed two fire tenders to the scene. Upon arrival, crews encountered a two-storey concrete structure engulfed in fire, with thick smoke visibly pouring from both the roof and windows,” Bagot said.

Crews battled the blaze using water from the fire tenders, managing to bring the fire under control. However, the top floor of the 38-by-45-foot structure sustained extensive fire damage, while the ground floor suffered considerable smoke damage.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Authorities are working to determine what triggered the early morning blaze.