Two fires Thursday have left homeowners out in the cold today.

The first blaze saw 13 firefighters in six units racing up to the house at 906 Fir St. in Porter Creek after an RCMP officer reported seeing a fire in progress at 3:05 p.m. Thursday.

The residents were not home, and at this time the cause is being attributed to a defective lamp found at the site of the fire's ignition.

The Mini-spiral 13-watt lamp was recalled by the Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada, a non-profit product safety certification organization.

The lamp, manufactured by Fujian Joinluck Electronic Enterprise Co. Ltd., poses a fire hazard because its parts are known to fail and melt its enclosures.

The parts were not approved by the Underwriters' Laboratories, and consumers who have bought this lamp are advised to return them. The safety recall was issued in October 2004.

Fire staff took an hour to completely extinguish the flames using three hose lines.

Fire Chief Warren Zackus said firefighters were on-scene for almost four hours investigating the cause of the ruinous fire.

It was confirmed this morning that the defective lamp and its compact fluorescent lightbulb were indeed the cause.

Fire officials are warning residents to check if they have purchased the lamp between January 2002 and April 2004, then return it if necessary.

Water damage and fire destruction tore through much of the two-storey, wood-framed home, ruining most of its contents. Zackus estimates the damage at $250,000.

Zackus estimated that the home's wood structure could possibly render it re-buildable, "but that will be up to them to decide."

Another Porter Creek residence will not be so lucky. Though damage was estimated at only $22,000, a mobile home and attachment on Maple Street are in bad shape following a second fire Thursday night.

The home's residents returned to find their home on fire, and they immediately called 9-1-1 at 11:25 p.m. from a cell phone.

Nine firefighters attended and took only 10 minutes to get the "slow-burning" fire under control, said Zackus.

"It hadn't spread a lot, it was starved of air," he said this morning.

He said the fire appeared to have been burning "for a while."

The blaze is currently under investigation by the RCMP as suspicious.

Zackus explained that in the two hours and 40 minutes firefighters were on the scene, they were able to rule out an accidental cause of fire.

Neither Zackus nor the RCMP could comment further on what evidence suggests the fire was set intentionally, as publishing the information may compromise the investigation.

Zackus said in any fire, crews first look for any indicators that suggest it was accidental, and then, if no such clues are found, they begin to consider clues that suggest the fire was set.

As in most cases, the burning homes' residents stuck around to watch the scene unfold.

"It's their home, their belongings, they want to see," he said.

Zackus said his crew offers a warm vehicle for residents to sit in, and neighbours are "usually very good," at uniting to help their fellow homeowners in a time of great need.

In cases where the homeowners have nowhere to stay following a fire, Zackus said, his crew will drive them to a hotel.

The RCMP are asking any residents who may have seen something or know something about the Maple Street fire to contact the detachment at 667-5555 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).