A home on St. Thomas Line in Paradise was destroyed by fire late Wednesday evening. Fire crews responded to the blaze shortly after 10:15 p.m.

Mike Hall, Platoon Chief with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department (SJRFD), stated that the initial call came from the homeowner, who reported a smell of smoke in the home. Within minutes multiple calls were received reporting the blaze. Responding fire crews fought through thick fog on the way to fire, arriving a short time later to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the home.

Firefighters took a defensive approach to fighting the fire, using a master stream from a fire engine to pour thousands of gallons of water on the blaze. It took crews nearly an hour to bring the fire under control, using the master stream and hand lines. The home was completely destroyed.

A family of three managed to escape the fire unharmed.

Fire crews worked for several hours before handing the scene over to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary for investigation.