Working smoke detectors are being credited for alerting a Clearview couple to a destructive fire in their home last night.

They were able to get out before the home burned to the ground. It was a stark wake-up call for the couple.

Today, investigators have been working to determine what started the fire.

“There were two residents home at the time. They were awakened by a working smoke alarm, they proceeded downstairs where they encountered smoke and fire,” says Clearview Township Fire Chief Colin Shewell.

The traditional ski cottage, located just down the road from Osler Bluffs, went up in flames just before midnight.

“When we rolled up on this fire, the fire had a very strong hold on this residence,” says Shewell. “Basically the frame of this structure was visible through the flames and every part of this house was involved upon arrival.”

The two people who were home at the time managed to get out safely along with their dog. But everything else was destroyed.

“I could see it from quite a distance away, the flames were about 40 feet in the air, and the sky was brilliantly lit up,” says Jamie Cuthbert, facility and development manager at Osler Bluffs.

He was also concerned about what the fire could do to the neighbourhood.

“One of the things I was concerned about was if the water line melted off we would be spraying water and losing water from our small water system,” he says.

Crews were able to get the water turned off in time, however. Wind made fighting the fire difficult, and firefighters even sprayed nearby homes with foam to try to protect them.

Rod Govan lives just behind the house, and today he was picking up large pieces of ash and debris off his property. So far, fire crews estimate the damage to be around $600,000.

Because the estimate is so high, the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has been called in. They aren’t treating the fire as suspicious.

Shewell says when they were checking the air quality at nearby homes after the fire was put out, they discovered some of the neighbours didn't have smoke alarms.  

They won't be fined, however. Instead fire crews installed smoke detectors for them.