'Mom, we’ve got to get out of the house': Neighbours rush to evacuate after flames break out at Cambridge townhouse complex

One person has been taken to hospital with minor injuries after a fire at a Cambridge townhouse complex Tuesday morning.

Emergency crews were called to a fire in one of the units on Langs Drive just before 7 a.m.

People who live nearby said the flames and smoke were heavy.

“My daughter, 16, she looked out the window and saw smoke coming from the unit next door to us and she started yelling ‘Mom, we’ve got to get out of the house,’” neighbour Lisa Kelly said.

“We ran out of the house. There was explosions coming from the home.”

Fire tape surrounds a townhouse complex on Langs Drive in Cambridge on Nov. 7, 2023. (Stefanie Davis/CTV Kitchener)

Eric Yates, the chief fire prevention officer with the Cambridge Fire Department, said there was one minor injury as a result of the fire.

“The individual was taken to Cambridge Memorial Hospital for observation,” Yates said, adding the injury is in relation to smoke inhalation.

Yates said the flames started in a second-floor bedroom.

Firefighters are seen at a home on Langs Drive in Cambridge on Nov. 7, 2023. (Chris Thomson/CTV Kitchener)

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, and Waterloo regional police are involved.

“At this time it’s not suspicious,” Yates said.

Police said they’re generally involved in all fire investigations until it can be confirmed that there is no criminal element.

Damage is roughly estimated at around $300,000.

The Cambridge Fire Deparment says the flames started in a second-floor bedroom. Fire damage is also visible on the home's roof and siding. (Chris Thomson/CTV Kitchener)

Langs Drive was closed between Mary Avenue and Concession Road Tuesday morning but has since reopened.

Some neighbours who were forced out of their homes say the Red Cross has offered its support.