A fire in the east end of St. John’s late Saturday morning has destroyed a home and displaced four residents.

At about 10:40 a.m. firefighters were called to a home on Blackwood Place in the east end of St. John’s. Crews arrived to find the outside of the home fully ablaze, with fire spreading through the attic space of the semi-attached row house.

Ed Sears, Platoon Chief with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department (SJRFD), said that the residents inside the home were alerted to the blaze by a neighbour, and by the time they evacuated flames had engulfed the side of the house. All four people inside the home were able to safely escape the blaze.

Fire spread through the attic of the home and into an adjoining home, which was vacant due to a previous fire. Firefighters also checked a third home, and assisted its occupant in evacuating, though the home is reported to have escaped unscathed.

Dozens of area residents looked on as firefighters battled the blaze, which is said to have started on the side of the home. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.