A fire which is believed to have started in a recreational vehicle has resulted in one home being extensively damaged as partial impact to a second.

The blaze began shortly before 11 a.m. on April 2 in the 5800 block of Bates Road north of Courtenay.

鈥淭here was a big explosion and then I looked out the window and the trailer was on fire and then the neighbour鈥檚 house was on fire鈥� says Madison Hagarty who lives across from where the fire began.

鈥滻 saw them coming running out and screaming that the place was on fire so I went outside and had a look and the flames were just starting to come out the door鈥� Machin says.

Fire was starting to damage the side of his home and he initially grabbed a garden hose but realized there wasn鈥檛 anything he could do.

He says his home was spared serious damage because the wind shifted to spread the flames towards his neighbour鈥檚 house.

鈥淚f the wind had gone the other way it would have been our house that would be gone right now鈥� he says.

Another neighbour, Brenda McLeod, heard several explosions as the fire progressed and was worried about flames spreading.

鈥淚t鈥檚 terrifying with all these big trees right across the road from me, it was terrifying that our house would go too鈥� McLeod says.

She praises the speed in which fire fighters got to the scene.

Twenty Five to thirty members from Oyster River Fire Rescue, the Merville Fire Department and Comox Fire Department attended the blaze through a mutual-aid call, but there was an issue with water according to Oyster River Fire Chief Bruce Green.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in a rural area, there鈥檚 no water and the closest hydrant is about four kilometres away, we鈥檝e got a porta-tank set up and we鈥檝e been shuttling water from two different hydrants with two different tenders to ensure we kept a water supply here鈥� Green says.

A woman who identified herself as being the daughter of the owner of the heavily damaged home says she and her father were out for a walk in nearby Seal Bay Park when they saw thick smoke and quickly returned home to find the fire and emergency crews arriving.

She says two dogs from the home were safe but a cat was unaccounted for.

Fire crews remained on the scene throughout the day to fight the flames and clean up the scene 鈥� an official cause of the start of the fire will still need to be determined.