10 or more people have been left homeless following an afternoon fire in the city which destroyed three residential structures in the Lake Independence area.
It started at a wooden home on Hibiscus Street and rapidly spread across to two other homes on Vernon Street.
Resident Maggie Garbutt told us that she pulled out her own garden hose to try to fight it.
Voice of: Fire Victim
"This is a family house, so I, myself I'm still in shock right now of the situation."
Jules Vasquez
"Is anyone at home?"
Voice of: Fire Victim
"Presently no, everyone was at work."
Jules Vasquez
"The house had electricity, were there any electrical issues?"
Voice of: Fire Victim
"There was no electrical issue and yes the house have electricity. Words can't express how we are feeling right now, but by the grace of god, something will happen."
Voice of: Maggie Garbutt, Fire Victim
"It all started around 1:45 or so when the house on Hibiscus [street] started fire and eventually it spread over to my sister's house and I had to rush through the back door and try to hook up the hose to out the fire. I tried spraying it on the house first, then I tried wetting my sister's house and from there the fire escalated. I tried to remove all I could from my sister's house and that was it."
Jules Vasquez
"And how are you all coping, it's very traumatic?"
Voice of: Maggie Garbutt, Fire Victim
"It is, because my sister house got destroyed by Hurricane Lisa and she tried her best to save up and build her house and to get this fire just burnt it down, it's really hard and Its really scary."
No one knows what may have started the fire - we'll follow up with the Fire Department on Monday.
