Two houses have been destroyed and two others damaged after a fire broke out Saturday morning at about 10:30 a.m. in the east end of St. John’s.

The houses, which are adjoined, are located in a subdivision off Fox Avenue. People saw black smoke spewing from the area in the early stages of the fire.

A resident in the area, Larry Daley, was in the right place at the right time. He evacuated a disabled woman, who was on oxygen, and her elderly mother and caretaker just before the fire department arrived. He says a man and two women helped with the task, and a neighbour supplied them with a case of water.

The St. John’s Regional Fire Department, the RNC, paramedics, and the Salvation Army were all on hand. Police closed off several roads in the area.

Several people have been displaced, and the RNC are investigating the cause.