Firefighters relieved nobody inside as St. Nicholas home burns down

A home has been destroyed and a pet bird died in the flames, but firefighters say they were relieved nobody was inside when they responded to call of a house in western P.E.I. on Thursday.

At about 10:30 p.m., the Miscouche Fire Department received a call of a one-level house on fire in St. Nicholas. When firefighters arrived on scene, the home was fully engulfed, and Chief Jason Woodbury said it was uncertain if anyone was inside. They later learned the residents were visiting friends in a neighbouring community.

"It's always a feeling you have in the back of your head that there potentially could be a fatality," Woodbury said. "Certainly contents and property can be replaced but lives can't be so we were very fortunate to hear that news."

Cause under investigation

Woodbury was unsure what kind of bird died in the fire.

About 30 members of Miscouche Fire Department battled the fire with assistance from the Wellington Fire Department, Woodbury said. Maritime Electric and Island EMS were also on scene, as well as a local contractor who was called to help gain access to hot spots through the home's metal roof.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Woodbury said.

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