It was not a happy Mother's Day for a Coquitlam family whose home was significantly damaged by fire.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday when a blaze broke out at a two-storey home on Harrier Drive in the Eagle Ridge area, sending eight people to hospital with minor smoke inhalation.
Coquitlam Fire and Rescue Chief Wade Pierlot said the flames originated in the basement but did not take long to spread.
"We are talking probably $50,000 in damage," he said. "It doesn't take much to add up now. The ceiling area was burned right through the ceiling cladding."
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire, which appears to have originated in a kitchen, but Pierlot noted that a utility room was also close to the source.
"I'm still waiting for fire investigators to give me a cause," he said.
There was also some indication that the residents may have tried to contain the blaze themselves, something Pierlot strongly discourages. He said investigators were still trying to determine whether there was any delay in phoning in the emergency.
As of Tuesday morning, all eight people who had been admitted to hospital were released and investigators were still at the house. Officials do not believe the blaze is suspicious.
