A fire in the centre of St. John’s late Wednesday evening has displaced five people from their home.

At about 9:30 p.m. firefighters responded to a home on University Avenue, and when crews arrived they found smoke coming from the front and from the eaves of a two-unit home. All three people who were in an upstairs apartment escaped unharmed. Firefighters alerted both downstairs tenants to the fire, allowing them to also escape.

Crews were able to quickly knock down the fire, which caused extensive damage to the kitchen area of the upstairs unit. There was smoke and water damage throughout the home. Personnel with Newfoundland Power were called to disconnect power to the home.

While there were no injuries, all five residents of the home have been displaced. The Canadian Red Cross was called to assist them.