A fire Saturday afternoon claimed the life of a dog and severely damaged a downtown townhouse.

Firefighters were called to the Magnolia Court townhouse complex in the 9300 block of Corbould Street just after 4 p.m.

They arrived to find a two-storey townhouse fully involved. The flames were snuffed out before they could do serious damage to an adjacent unit.

The home affected, however, is not considered habitable.

Fire officials say the owner of the townhouse was not home at the time of the fire but that the dog was found dead inside the unit.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation but is considered accidental, according to assistant fire chief Ian Josephson. BC Safety Authority investigators were at the unit Monday.