In just 15 minutes a Moncton family’s four-year-old bungalow burned to the ground.

“It's pretty much a total loss,” says Andre Damours, whose daughter lives in the house.

Moncton firefighters responded to the fire on a scorching hot day to put out a fire that officials say started on the outside and burned its way from the ground up to the attic.

"I ran down and it was engulfed,” said Damours “I thought, goodness sakes, how does it go and start so fast?”

Damours’ son-in-law and grandson were in the backyard swimming pool at the time, cooling off from the heat wave that struck the city. They were unaware at first that their house was on fire.

“I didn't know where the son in-law was,” said Damours. “He called me, but I didn't see him here. For a few minutes, I was wondering if he was in the house.”

While the residents were able to escape unharmed, crews were battling the fire in record-high temperatures, making what was already a tough job even tougher.

Charles Leblanc is a prevention and investigation chief with the Moncton Fire Department.

“It is quite difficult for our crews to do their work,” Leblanc said. “It was extremely warm with all the gear that they were carrying and wearing. That adds an extra 35 to 40 pounds.”

The combination of humidity and heavy gear also put firefighters at risk for heat exhaustion.

“Our platoon chief on site basically ensured our firefighters were rotating through and cycling through the fire, making sure they were hydrated,” Leblanc said.

Investigators say it is too early to determine the cause of this fire, however, since the fire started externally, and temperatures peaked at more than 30 degrees Wednesday while the city was hit by a heat wave, heat will be investigated as a possible cause.

Leblanc also warns residents to be extra careful.

“People should be very cautious of their homes,” he said. “A lot of homes have flower beds, that sort of stuff where you have mulch. Just keep a close eye, typically cigarettes or any type of open flames is very dangerous.”

Restoration companies will be on site in the next few days sifting through whatever’s left to salvage. In the meantime, the residents will take refuge in a cool basement with their family just two doors up the street.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kate Walker.