What police and Peatt Road neighbours call a notorious Langford drug house was gutted by fire Wednesday morning.

Black smoke billowed from the rancher-style home at 2747 Peatt Rd. for much of the morning as Langford firefighters pried apart the flooring and the roof while hunting for smoldering hot spots.

Flames erupted from the home’s south-side window when fire crews arrived around 7:30 a.m.

Langford fire Chief Bob Beckett said the fire extinguished quickly but the home suffered extensive smoke damage. Nobody was home at the time of the fire and no one was found inside during the preliminary search, he said.

Beckett said Friday the fire has been deemed "suspicious" and is under investigation by the West Shore RCMP. He would not comment on the cause of the fire.

The house and its occupants had an unsavory reputation in the neighbourhood for drug dealing and other criminal activity. Some residents at the scene were heard to say “good riddance” and “let it burn.”

“It’s a well known house for criminal activities,” said West Shore RCMP Const. Greg Doncaster. “(Police) are here regularly for various illegal activities. It’s well known for drugs and stolen property.”

A Peatt Road property owner who requested to remain unidentified said the home’s occupants were a burden on the neighbourhood. People associated with the house had squatted and committed break-and-enters on other nearby homes, he said.

“I hope no one was hurt in the house,” he said. “But at the end of the day this was inevitable. ”

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