MCKEESPORT (KDKA) – A fire in McKeesport burned a family out of their home Thursday morning.

If there is any good news for them, it is the fact that everybody had already left for the day when the fire broke out.

Three fire companies were called to Palmgreen Street in McKeesport just before 9 a.m. A neighbor called 911 when they saw smoke coming from the two-story home.

“The home was empty. We were able to determine with the help of the McKeesport Police Department that all the children were accounted for and we talked to the occupant already. McKeesport Fire Captain Jim Shields said.

Neighbors said there are four children who live in the home with their mother, but all four of the kids were in school when the fire broke out. The mother had already left for work in Pittsburgh.

“We were able to keep the fire predominantly to the main room. It did extend into the second floor a little bit,” Shields said.

Two other departments assisted the McKeesport Fire Department in knocking down the flames. Captain Shields said the family had two pets.

“There were two dogs that our Pet Control folks helped corral at some point during the fire. They weren’t an issue in that they were outside,” Shields said.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but the Allegheny County Fire Marshall was called to the scene to talk with witnesses and to look through the house as part its routine investigation.

Officials from the American Red Cross have stepped in to help the family after the fire.

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