As fire raged through a Jameson Street home Thursday night, a quick-thinking neighbour kicked down the front door and rescued an elderly couple from inside.
Mitchell Dean returned to his home on the corner of Barrie Road and Marlissa Drive Thursday night and glanced across the street where he saw flames coming out of the roof of his neighbours' home.
After alerting his mom to the blaze, and calling 911, he ran across the street to the home. He thought he could hear banging from inside the home, but wasn't sure of the source of the noise.
"I approached the house cautiously," Dean said, saying he was wary of the heat and flames and feared an explosion.
"But when I realized there was someone inside, trying to get out, I kicked in the door," he said, noting it was fortunate he was wearing his steel-toed boots.
He said an elderly man and woman "basically tumbled out of the house" once the door was opened.
"It was scary," said Dean, 27.
He said the home's occupants seemed to be breathing OK, but said they were "covered in smoke" and "very disoriented. They were in complete shock," he said.
The woman collapsed outside and needed to be helped to get away from the fire, Dean said. Several neighbours lent a hand and brought blankets for the victims as the temperature dipped to about -25 with the wind chill.
The two occupants are being assessed for smoke inhalation.
There were also two dogs inside the house, but both managed to get out.
Orillia Fire Chief Brent Thomas told OrilliaMatters at 9:15 p.m. that the "bulk of the fire" had been knocked down, but he said there is "deep-seated fire in hidden spaces requiring extensive dismantling of walls and ceilings."
Thomas said the cause of the fire has not been determined and cannot be investigated until it is safe to enter the structure. He said the house is "a total loss."
The fire chief said the frigid temperatures and "icy conditions" have proven to be a challenge to firefighters, who remain on the scene.