A morning fire in the northwest community of Evanston damaged four homes, but those inside were able to get out unharmed.

The Calgary Fire Department responded to a location in the 400 block of Evanston Drive N.W. at around 9:30 a.m. following reports of heavy black smoke and flames.

Neighbour Sojan Paul says he was drinking his morning coffee when he saw a commotion across the street.

“All of a sudden I heard screaming,” Paul said. “I came out and...this house is almost in blaze.”

Paul says the flames and smoke spread quickly.

 “(Now), it’s very hard to see. I don’t have any words.”

One person was in the home at the time of the fire but they escaped unharmed, along with their dog.

Neighbours tell CTV News they believe a quick response by crews limited the damage. There is a fire station less than two kilometres down the road.

“When crews arrived, the source house was fully involved,” CFD Acting Central District Chief Dave Nelson said. “Vinyl siding is very flammable and when you get a fire on the exterior of a home, it does spread incredibly rapidly.”

Shortly before 11 a.m., the fire was considered under control, but crews say they’ll be on scene into Wednesday morning checking for hot spots.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.