Family of 6 displaced after Charlottetown townhouse fire

A family of six has been displaced after a fire Saturday night at a townhouse in Charlottetown.

Firefighters responded toWalthen Drive at about 10:25 p.m. and noticed smoke coming fromthe second storey of the end unit of a row of townhouses, said Deputy ChiefKent Mitchell of the Charlottetown Fire Department.

A woman and four childrenwere able to escape unharmed. A male resident arrived home later.

More than two dozen firefighters were on the scene for about two hours, Mitchell said.

He stressed the importance of the working fire alarm that sounded in the unit, alerting the family to get out.

"Too often we don't see that," he said.

A concrete wall between the units helped prevent the spread of smoke, Mitchell said.

There was extensive damage to the inside of the townhouse, but only minor damage to the outside.The Red Cross has provided the family with temporary accommodations.

The fire remains under investigation.