An Abbotsford grandmother is being called a hero after alerting her large, sleeping family about a fire that broke out in their home early Sunday morning.

Shortly after midnight, firefighters responded to the blaze in the 31000-block of Mayne Avenue and found the house engulfed in flames, according to Deputy Fire Chief Mike Helmer.

Ten members of the Brar family who were living in the home made it out safely thanks to the grandmother hearing the fire alarm and discovering flames coming from the garage. Some of the people slept only feet away from the fire.

Although both firefighters and family members are praising the woman's response, she was quite upset by the tragedy and downplayed her role in saving her loved ones.

"She doesn't feel like a hero," her grandson and neighbour Prav Brar told CTV News.

Prav said she began screaming after opening the garage door and finding the flames, which alerted the seven other adults, a child and an infant to leave the home. They exited the residence just as one of the senior's sons was driving by.

"He saw the fire. He started bashing on the door, too, and then our other neighbours came," Prav added.

Seven fire trucks and 25 firefighters soon arrived after being called by a neighbour.

"If the firefighters had been five more minutes, our house would've been on fire, too," Prav said.

The neighbouring house is home to more Brars and is where some of those displaced by the fire will be staying.

The fire and its smoke caused about $100,000 worth of damage to the home, three vehicles and the neighbouring house. At the height of the blaze, it was visible from blocks away.

Firefighters say the damage could have been a lot worse if the garage didn't have a working smoke detector.

"This fire is a perfect example of how 10 members of a family were saved by the sound of a working smoke alarm and an observant grandmother. Without a working smoke alarm the outcome of this fire could have been catastrophic," Helmer said.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the blaze to break out.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Penny Daflos



