CALGARY -- Fire crews doused homes along a street in the northwest community of Nolan Hill as an early morning fire spread to four residences.

Firefighters responded just before 4 a.m. to the 100 block of Nolanfield Lane N.W. where a home was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had begun to spread to adjacent homes.

Calgary Fire Department Battalion Chief Bruce Barrs says a second alarm was sounded due to the significant flames and wind.

"Crews did a fantastic job of setting up an offensive exterior attack using hand lines and an elevated master stream and aerial truck was used in the back alley," said Barrs. "We were able to knock down visible flames from the outside and safely enter the source home to extinguish the remaining fire."

Two homes were destroyed by the blaze while two others sustained less severe damage. It's unclear how many people were inside the homes at the time of the fire and there have been no reports of injury.

Police are directing traffic in the area and several people on the street were safely evacuated from their homes as a precaution. City buses were brought in to keep residents warm before it was deemed safe for them to return to their homes.

Ajay Mesta lives just a few doors down and says he was scared for his family's safety when firefighters knocked on his front door.

"There was a lot of flames between the two houses, it was too high and when I went out with my wife we could see it all from our backyard," said Mesta.

"We were all scared. The first house received the most damage and then it just jumped to another house."

Jairece Morgan says she awoke to the sound of banging on her window and the smell of smoke. She joined the effort to alert others by knocking on doors and ringing doorbells before the arrival of firefighters.

"I was freaking out," recounted Morgan. "(The flames) were terrifying. I’ve never seen anything like."

Calgary firefighters remain on scene dousing hotspots in the area. ENMAX crews have been deployed to restore power to the area.

There is no word on the cause or exact origin of the fire at this time. An investigation is underway.