The Sooke Fire Rescue Service responded to a fire on the 5000-block of Sooke Road on July 7 at around 7:30 p.m.
The electrical panel in the home had caught fire, and began to creep up the wall. The residents put out a majority of the flames with a fire extinguisher.
“The house was filled with smoke, so we got the power shut off, put out the rest of the fire, and cleaned out the smoke,” said Fire Chief Steve Sorensen.
“They were certainly really lucky, if they hadn’t been home and if it had been at night, it would’ve been a whole other story.”
Sorensen advised residents to check their electrical panels periodically to check for loose connections and burnt wires.
“It’s not unusual over time, with the heating and cooling of electrical wires, that they loosen in the panel, and then you get an arc and away it goes.”
An electrical inspector has been called to investigate the cause of the fire.