A dozen residents displaced from house fire in Kitchener

A fire in Kitchener that left 12 people displaced, as seen from a backyard neighbour. (Mar. 27, 2021)

KITCHENER — A total of 12 people have been displaced from their home after a fire at a semidetached house in Kitchener.

Emergency crews were called to the scene on Highbrook Street near Block Line around 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Officials say the fire affected both the units in the building, but was extinguished quickly. There were seven people living in the one unit and five in the other.

No injuries were reported.

Tanya Charlane says she and her six children were not home at the time of the fire, which she has been told was caused by an electrical issue.

"I had went to the store and I was coming back and I could see smoke coming out of the roof," she said. "There were three people on the lawn, and someone handed me a phone to call the fire department, and I told them 'I think my house is on fire.'"

The damage, which was mainly at the rear end of the house, is estimated to have cost $750,000.

The investigation is ongoing, but officials say the fire is not being considered suspicious.