A family from Mitchell came home to a horrible surprise on Saturday.

Hanover Fire Chief Paul Wiebe says his crew was called to a house fire on Maple Avenue around 5:30 pm which rendered the house uninhabitable.

“We were there for about three and half hours,” estimates Wiebe, “and then of course we monitor it for the next while.”

Wiebe says they returned on Sunday morning to a small rekindling of the original fire.

“Sometimes the older houses have wood shavings and they don’t show up on our thermal imaging,” he explains, “so with those shavings, we continue to monitor for the next 24 to 48 hours just to make sure nothing starts up again.”

Wiebe informs it was the neigbours that noticed the fire and made the call for his crew. “No one was home at the time, which in a way, is a good thing,” offers Wiebe, “no injuries.”

Wiebe reports the cause is still under investigation but that it is not believed to be suspicious.