The Abbotsford fire department is giving kudos to two Good Samaritans who kept a suspicious house fire from spreading out of control on Wednesday morning.

Abbotsford Fire Rescue responded to a report of a fire at a home at 3527 Dunsmuir Way at 8:20 a.m., said fire prevention officer Capt. Steve Oldroyd.

But when fire crews arrived, they found the neighbour in the adjacent duplex who called 911 had already managed to put the fire out with her garden hose.

The second Good Samaritan, an Abbotsford city employee who was driving by in a garbage truck, also spotted the fire and kicked in the front door to make sure no one was inside.

He discovered a 14-year-old boy in the home and got him out safely.

"They did a fantastic job," said Oldroyd.

The neighbour managed to prevent any extensive damage to the home.

"The fire was spreading. Another couple of minutes and it would have been up into the roof," said Oldroyd.

The city worker also acted quickly, said Oldroyd.

"He took responsibility to ensure someone's safety and he did a really good thing."

However, Oldroyd stressed it was important that people never risk their lives to fight a fire unless they are sure it's safe to do so.

The blaze, which fire investigators have deemed suspicious, was located by the front entrance of the home and caused around $5,000 in damages.

"We suspect it was either fireworks or a running shoe set on fire against the house," said Oldroyd, who added Abbotsford Police are also investigating.

"The motive is unknown and we can't say if it was a deliberate attempt to put someone in danger or a prank gone wrong," he said.