9-year-old girl rescued from burning home, 2 others injured

A young girl was airlifted to hospital after a fire in this Victoria-area home on March 14, 2013.

A nine-year-old girl suffered critical injuries in an early morning house fire west of Victoria that also saw two other women rushed to hospital.

Firefighters pulled the unresponsive youngster to safety as flames tore through the home, in the View Royal neighbourhood.

Crews arrived about 3:30 a.m. and found the girl's mother unconscious on the front doorstep.

A second woman was in the basement screaming about the trapped girl. The child made it from her basement bedroom to the front hallway, where she was found.

View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst said crews were able to get to the scene within three minutes, but found “horrendous” conditions inside the home.

“They did a quick attack through the basement in an effort to effect a rescue,” he told CTV News.

“I’m extremely proud of the firefighters who went into the building this morning to search for this child.”

The girl, who suffered burns to her body, was airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, while the two women are being treated in Victoria-area hospitals.

Hurst said the fire started in the basement but the cause still isn’t known.