'Smoke and flames': House fire in Burlington leaves 2 seriously injured and is now under investigation

The Office of the Fire Marshal has been contacted about a serious house fire in Burlington that has caused $500,000 damage.

The blaze on Winding Way broke out about 1:15 a.m. Sept. 16 and is believed to have started in the living room.

About 22 firefighters responded, according to a City of Burlington release, with nine emergency vehicles on scene.

Firefighters responding to "smoke and flames showing" on arrival, the city said.

Two people in the home have been injured and hospitalized.

The fire sparked this warning from fire officials.

"Working smoke alarms save lives. Do not remove smoke alarm batteries to solve nuisance alarms. Install smoke alarms with a hush button that will temporarily silence the alarm. The smoke alarm will reset itself after several minutes. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years," the joint release between the City and fire department reads. "Test your smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries every year. Every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. Smoke alarms can increase your chances of surviving a fire by up to 50 per cent."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, fire officials said.