A local man is being called a hero in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, after acting quickly to get all of the residents out of a rooming house that caught fire on Friday.

Blair Wall was getting ready for work when he realized the house was on fire Friday morning.

How two residents are coping after that boarding home fire in Happy Valley-Goose Bay left them, and 9 others, homeless. 15:46

"I heard the fire alarm go off so I jumped up and ran out into the hallway, and the first level of the house was already in smoke," Wall told CBC's Labrador Morning.

"I noticed some flickering down in the basement. I walked over to the top of the stairs and looked down and that's when I seen the flames starting to shoot up toward the stairs."

I just did what I had to do. - Blair Wall

Wall said it took less than a minute from the time he first heard the alarm for the flames to reach the top level of the house.

He then sprang into action, knocking on bedroom doors to get everyone up and out of the burning home.

"There was two or three awake, everyone else was asleep," he said.

A few minutes later, all of the residents staying at the rooming house were outside, watching as their home went up in flames.

Wall is being called a hero for getting everyone out safe and sound, but he doesn't really understand why.

"It seems strange," he said. "I just did what I had to do."

Dramatic morning

Raylene Hope, another resident of the rooming house, said Wall was great at getting everyone out and keeping them calm through the whole ordeal.

A fire completely gutted a home in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Friday 0:43

"He did an excellent job," she said. "He kept everyone from panicking."

Wall said he was amazed at how quickly the fire spread through the house that morning.

"After I got everybody off the second floor I went back in my bedroom to grab my jacket and shoes," he said.

"As quick as I put that on and opened the door again the flames were already shooting down in front of my door."

Coping together

The residents of the rooming house have all been staying at a local hotel while they figure out what to do next. None of them were seriously hurt, although some were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

However, with so little time to react to what was happening, pretty much all of their possessions were lost in the fire.

"I lost everything," said Wall.

Fire completely destroyed a rooming house in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Friday. Now, residents are crediting housemate Blair Wall with saving everyone inside the home. (Leah Balass/CBC)

"All I have left is the clothes on my back."

The residents have all been taking a break to reflect on what happened, and to try and deal with the trauma of losing their home and belongings.

Wall said it while the near-death experience was certainly traumatic, there's a big of a silver lining.

"This incident brought all of the residence closer," he said.

"We're almost like a big family now, instead of just living in a house."

Life after the fire

Salvation Army Lt. Brent Haas said it was important for all of the residents to spend the weekend together, helping each other heal after such a traumatic experience.

"They are a family," he said.

"When a family goes through such a traumatic time, I feel it was very important that they would have this weekend to be able to relax, and not have to deal with a whole lot of business."

The local Salvation Army is also stepping in to help the 11 displaced residents get back essential things they may have lost in the fire, like dentures or eyeglasses.

Friday's fire resulted in the second closure of a boarding house in less than a year in Happy Valley-Goose Bay — a town already worried about a lack of affordable housing.

Residents from the rooming house destroyed by fire Friday lost pretty much all of their belongings, other than the clothes on their backs. (Leah Balass/CBC)

Morley Linstead, with Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, said there may be a hidden benefit of having two homes closed so close together.

"We're quite fortunate, actually. After the boarding house closure we experienced last April, we have a team on the ground there that is experienced with dealing with a crisis like this," he said.

"We have staff planning to meet with each of the individuals to see what their needs are and to start working on a plan for long-term housing."

Linstead said it's a team effort that includes the provincial government, Labrador-Grenfell Health, the Native Friendship Centre and Salvation Army. However, he said it will be a challenge in a town where low-income housing is hard to find.

"Hopefully we can quickly find a resolution for everybody involved," he said.