Good Samaritans in Calmar helped new neighbours escape a house fire overnight.
Around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, a neighbour who lives two doors down heard unusual noises from outside.
“We just finished watching a movie and we were heading off to bed and I heard some strange noises, like popping, cracking noises,” said neighbour Natasha Doesburg.
“I got my husband to go check out the window and he saw the back of a house, a couple houses down, was completely orange.”
Doesburg’s husband ran down the street and another man driving by jumped out of his vehicle.
The two men banged on the door to alert the people inside that the house was ablaze.
“The other gentleman kicked on the door a couple of times and finally managed to break in,” said Doesburg.
“Just as the door was opening the people were coming down the stairs wondering what was going on. They had no idea. They were dead asleep.”
When Leduc firefighters arrived, the house was completely full of smoke.
“I’m just glad we managed to get everyone out safe,” said Doesburg.
Firefighters from Calmar and Thorsby responded to the scene.
On Saturday, the fire chief said the house is a complete loss.
“Unfortunately how the fire has spread throughout, the structure has compromised the building,” said David Brooks, fire chief with the Town of Calmar.
Brooks also said the homeowners had just moved into the house the day before the fire.
“Yesterday (Friday) was their first day in the home,” said Brooks. “It’s an unfortunate situation for the new residents.”
In a news release, Leduc Fire Services says the cause of the blaze is under investigation.
With files from CTV's Frazer Snowdon
