A Courtenay duplex on the 2000 block of First Street went up in flames late Friday afternoon, following what neighbours describe as "three or four loud bangs" going off in the home.
Neighbour Melissa Thompson placed the 9-1-1 call after the bangs knocked photos off her wall and shook her computer. She added she saw black smoke billowing out of the home.
Courtenay Fire Chief Don Bardonnex confirmed two or three people have been taken to St. Joseph's General Hospital with unknown injuries.
"The house went from nothing to most of the exterior of the house ... and went up in a second," he noted, and added both sides of the duplex sustained major damage.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.