No one hurt at Mountain care home fire Saturday afternoon

No one was hurt after a large fire at a Mountain care home for people with developmental disabilities Saturday afternoon.

More than two-dozen Hamilton firefighters responded to the multiple-alarm blaze at 6 Nina Ct., just north of Rymal Road East, around 4:30 p.m.

Assistant deputy fire chief Ryan Coburn said first arriving crews were met with a significant fire in the two-storey care home's garage that extended through its roof.

Seven people in the house - four staff and three residents - managed to escape without injury, he added.

Firefighters quickly doused the blaze, limiting potential spread to other homes in the quaint neighbourhood.

If the crews didn't do as good a job as they did, other homes could have been impacted," Coburn said at the scene.

The fire pulled dozens of concerned neighbours onto the street - some not by choice.

Linda Tattrie, fresh from a trip to the mall, had to rush outside with her dog in hand when someone knocked on her door to say there was a fire at her neighbour's house.

They told me to move my car and when I came outside it was like, pop, pop, pop,'" she said, describing the sound of flames. I can't even express the fear and anxiety."

The fire left the affected home with a heavily charred exterior, melted gutters and huge chunks of its roof missing. A grey minivan on the driveway was torched, its hood propped open.

Coburn said a cause for the blaze hasn't yet been identified.

Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com