By Heather Ramsay-A Queen Charlotte residence was already engulfed in flames by the time the volunteer fire department arrived on Sunday afternoon.No one was hurt, but the Second Avenue home of Sheila Scaife and her two children was destroyed, said Queen Charlotte fire chief Larry Duke.The call came in at 1:20 pm on March 1 and some members arrived at the scene within 15 minutes, he said.Ray Sjolund, who lives in the house directly west of Ms Scaife's, said a neighbour banged on his door and told him to get out of his house. Mr. Sjolund, who took some pictures of Ms Scaife's house swallowed by flames, said the pictures were taken within five minutes of the knock on his door.Mr. Duke said three fire trucks and 17 firefighters were on duty during the peak period of the fire and they had to establish a protective curtain of water between the two houses.When they arrived, he said, firefighters first established that no one was in the home. Ms Scaife was in the home when the fire started, but got out safely.Mr. Duke said the blaze destroyed the home within two hours. Firefighters later brought in a backhoe to knock down anything still standing. He said that was done for safety, to ensure no one entered the ruins."It was pretty dramatic," said Mr. Sjolund, whose house came out unscathed. He said his neighbour is going to need some help and he was sorry that such a beautifully-kept piece of property was destroyed.