A Sardis home was destroyed and a family left homeless after a Monday morning fire.

The Chilliwack Fire Department had the blaze under control before 11 a.m. but not before it completely gutted the Maitland Avenue house.

A couple who said they rented the home (and did not want to provide names) said they woke up inside the house as the fire was burning outside on the porch. The woman said she heard a sound she thought was her cat.

"I heard the blinds crackling and I thought it was the cat," the woman told the Times. "I got up to let the cat out and saw the fire."

The man's face was blackened as he tried to fight the blaze with a fire extinguisher before escaping.

The couple's two children were at school and emergency social services were on the way before noon to take care of the family.

Assistant fire chief Ian Josephson said the contents of the home were likely completely destroyed.

He said the cause of the fire was unknown but that he would be back later Monday to investigate. Josephson said it was not suspicious.

The man who lived in the house said he thought it started on the porch at an electrical box that may have been faulty.

phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com