Despite a quick knock-down by firefighters, a fire that tore through a Milton home Saturday night caused close to $500,000 in damage.

It left a Milton family temporarily homeless.

Milton Fire Department responded around 8:15 p.m. to a two-storey detached home on Featherstone Road in the Main Street and James Snow Parkway area. First-arriving crews encountered fire and heavy smoke conditions when they entered the home.

Fire department officials believe the blaze started on the main floor and quickly spread to the second floor. The homeowners were away at the time, but two family pets — a cat and a gecko — were killed.

The initial 911 call came from a passerby who reported seeing flames in a window of the home.

Firefighters used a tarp to retrieve wrapped Christmas presents as well as family photo albums from the home in an attempt to minimize any further loss.

Six trucks including an aerial platform responded, with 30 firefighters attending the scene. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within a half-hour but remained on scene for several more hours performing overhaul operations, including pulling down the ceiling to check for any hot spots.

Due to the dollar amount of the estimated damage, the Office of the Fire Marshal was notified. An investigator with the department’s fire prevention unit will attempt to determine the cause of the fire.

