UPDATE: Highway 26 is now open to traffic.
Two people were rescued by firefighters in a house fire on Highway 26 in Craigleith this morning.
Two other occupants evacuated on their own before fire crews arrived and all four were taken to area hospitals for observation.
Acting Deputy Chief Duncan Rydall confirmed a member of The Blue Mountains Fire Department was also taken to hospital for observation after they inhaled some smoke.
A two-storey log home on the highway caught fire this morning and the fire department received the emergency call at 10:39 a.m. When crews arrived there were flames coming out the second-floor windows.
After about two hours fighting the fire, firefighters recovered a live parrot still in its cage from inside the home. The bird was taken to a vet for medical attention.
Rydall said the fire started in the crawl space, but the cause of the fire has not been determined.
The home might not be a total loss, but that is also unknown at this time. The structure is still standing.
Rydall said the homeowner was thawing some pipes in the crawlspace that morning, but it's not considered the cause of the fire. The acting deputy chief reminds residents to leave a tap dripping on very cold nights to prevent pipes from freezing.
"We still don't know the cause of the fire," reiterated Rydall.
Highway 26 remained close from the time of the fire and into the late afternoon.
Because of the freezing temperatures, the fire department is working with the town roads crew to keep the area well sanded.
