A West Kildonan family is picking up the pieces after a fire tore through their house Sunday morning, forcing them outside in the middle of the night.

At 2:30 a.m. Sunday officers were in the Seven Oaks area responding to a call when a neighbour alerted them a home was burning not far away on Lansdowne Avenue.

The officer called the fire department and then sprang into action – banging on the door and trying to rouse the people sleeping in the home.

“They were in the process of forcing entry when a female did come to the door,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen of the Winnipeg Police Service.

The officers helped five people get out of the home safely before fire crews arrived.

Crews were able to extinguish the fire within minutes, but not before it spread to a neighbouring home.

Ken Oberlin, who lives across the street from the fire, said it’s a night he won’t forget.

“My wife woke me up saying she thought she heard someone banging on the door,” said Ken Oberlin, who lives across the street from the blaze.

Oberlin initially dismissed what she said but then headed downstairs to check.

“(I) looked outside and sure enough I saw flames,” said Oberlin.

Neighbour Chris Palmer also rushed out of his home and tried to help.

“You kind of feel a bit helpless – just standing back and watching, making sure they have jackets and shoes on because they came out running,” said Palmer.

When the fire was extinguished, extensive damage had been done to the front and back of the home.

The scorched home remains a troubling sight for Palmer. “I’ve got little kids. They’ve got small children there, too. So it’s a little disconcerting,” said Palmer.

According to fire officials, the blaze caused $195,000 worth of damage to the home, and even damaged the exterior of a neighbouring home.

The homeowners were too distraught to discuss the fire Sunday, but said they are staying with friends in the area until they sort out their situation.

“When they're friends of yours, you definitely feel for them,” said Oberlin.

The cause of the fire is now being investigated by the arson strike force.

Anyone with information about the blaze is asked to call investigators at 204-986-6813 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.