A Yellow Point couple escaped a house fire with minor smoke inhalation on Christmas Eve.
The fire broke out in a home in the 3300 block of De Courcy Drive at shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday.
"Upon arrival there was significant heavy smoke coming out of the structure," said Percy Tipping, North Cedar Fire Department chief. "All the occupants were out at that time, so it was just a matter of entering and extinguishing."
Tipping said the man and woman who own the home were the only people in the house when the fire broke out.
"They were transported to hospital by B.C. Ambulance to be checked over for smoke inhalation, but they were released later that morning," Tipping said.
The fire appears to have started in a room the lower floor of the split level house, but what sparked the blaze is still under investigation by fire and insurance investigators.
Flames and heat extended up into the kitchen.
Tipping said it took firefighters about one hour to bring the fire fully under control, get the interior of the house cooled down and snuff out any remaining hot spots, but fire crews were on the scene for several hours mopping up.
"Structurally the house is fine, but there is significant heat, smoke and water damage to the inside on the whole lower floor," Tipping said.
The home is insured.