Flames were seen shooting out of the top of a vacuum truck in Langford Thursday.

It happened just before 1 p.m. in the 1100-block of Smokehouse Crescent.

Langford Fire Rescue responded and fought down the flames as people looked on concerned about how close the truck was to nearby homes.

Many residents initially believed it was a house fire due to the volume of smoke in the air.

Liz Forster was working in her home directly beside the burning vehicle when there was a pounding on her door.

“The next thing I knew was there was all this noise," Forster said. "I did peek out my window and saw these massive flames. So we were quickly evacuated from the house. It was pretty horrific to see."

No one was injured in the blaze.

The truck crew was apparently vacuuming on a lawn to prepare a hole to plant trees.