A house fire in the Lakeview Heights area of West Kelowna forced the home's five occupants to flee for safety on Friday night shortly before 10 p.m.

All five, one of whom was a baby, escaped the blaze safely and are now being assisted by emergency support services.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue firefighters arrived on the scene at 9:45 p.m. to find flames shooting the roof around a chimney at a home on Michelle Crescent.

The fire quickly spread through the roof space, but firefighters were able to halt its progress from consuming the entire roof and upper floor of the house.

Additional crews laddered the roof top to check for fire extension and to ensure that the fire was completely out. Thermal imaging cameras were used to look for any hotspots behind the walls.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but likely originated in the walls enclosing the chimney, according to the WKFR.