A home in Brampton was reduced to rubble by a large fire on Wednesday morning.

Officials at the scene said the fire was reported at approximately 7 a.m., at a home at 10230 Goreway Dr., northwest of Castlemore Road.

Officers initially said they believed the home was abandoned, but later reported that the home was inhabited by a couple who are on vacation in Portugal. The owners, who lived in the home for more than are scheduled to return to Canada on Saturday.

The fire quickly engulfed the large house, located on a sprawling property in Brampton’s Castlemore neighbourhood. Flames shot through the roof and thick smoke blanketed the neighbourhood.

“It’s always a terrible situation when we lose a house right to the ground and a family is involved,” said Deputy Fire Chief. “Their whole life stops on this day and they have to restart from here.”

They couple was told about the fire by a relative over the phone.

“Everyone’s in shock,” said the couple’s nephew, Tony Ponte. “I don’t think they know the full extent of it yet…Right now, everyone just trying to stick together and stay strong.”

A Brampton City Hall document showed that the home was being expropriated to widen the section of Goreway Drive from two lanes to four.

Firefighters had the flames under control quickly, but the home was almost entirely destroyed.

The fire did not spread to adjacent homes and no injuries have been reported.

Brampton Fire said that, so far, they have no reason to believe this was a suspicious fire.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to investigate the cause of the blaze.

With a report from John Musselman