Three people are dead after an early morning house fire Saturday gutted one corner of a large rental home at 1320 Johnson St.

Names of the victims, two women and a man believed to be in their 20s, had not been released as of Sunday.

When the complement of 22 firefighters from the nearby Yates Street hall arrived on scene at about 4:40 a.m., the front porch was totally engulfed in flames and fire was lapping at the soffit vents at the front and rear of the home. Two vehicles parked in the driveway next to the home were also totally engulfed in flames.

The front door was open and flames reached inside the entrance and up the nearby stairwell. The victims were discovered later by firefighters who worked to knock back the fire.

The house was the site of a party on Friday night with a "a large number of guests" according to a Victoria fire department report.