Home burns on Cottonwood Bend

GRANT BURR | THE CARILLON Enlarge Image

Steinbach firefighters continue to target hot spots in the roof of a house on Cottonwood Bend, after a fire destroyed the home on Saturday afternoon.

Steinbach firefighters battled a house fire on Cottonwood Bend on Saturday afternoon around 3:15 p.m.

Fire chief Kel Toews said the home was a total loss.

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Firefighters work in the backyard of a Cottonwood Bend home that went up in flames on Saturday afternoon. Steinbach fire chief Kel Toews said the home was a total loss. (GRANT BURR | THE CARILLON)

When firefighters arrived at the scene, Toews said the main floor of the bi-level home was fully involved. Flames could be seen burning through the roof and front window of the house.

"The biggest challenge was to save the houses next to it," Toews said. "The heat was pretty intense."

Occupants of the home were able to exit safely, Toews said.

"They noticed the fire and were able to get out," he said, adding that firefighters still had not located some pets that also lived in the home.

Toews said the Office of the Fire Commissioner was expected on scene to investigate the cause of the fire, which he said remains unknown at this time. Fire crews were continuing at the site late Saturday afternoon to pull apart portions of the roof and walls to monitor for any hot spots.