Weldon Fire Chief Rusty Bolt said the cause of the fire is believed to be a malfunction in a deep freezer.

Bolt said fire was coming out of the eaves in back of the house after firefighters received the call shortly after 2 p.m.

Firefighters from Weldon and Halifax had the fire under control in five minutes.

The blaze bled into the kitchen and attic, he said.

Two families live in the house. No one was injured. Most of their belongings sustained smoke damage and the Red Cross was going to put them in a motel.

The house is salvageable, the fire chief said, but he estimated it would take a minimum of $30,000 to make the repairs.

Bolt said today's fire was the fourth in two weeks. There was a fire on Maple Street Extension Tuesday; one Friday night on Aurelian Springs Road and another on North Walnut Street November 11.

The Maple Street Extension fire was started in a house with no electricity. It is believed people were trying to get warm and started an open fire. In that fire, the house burned to the ground.

The North Walnut Street fire was also at a house with no electricity where it is believed an open fire was started in an effort to keep warm. That fire burned three rooms.

The Aurelian Springs Road fire was at an abandoned two-story house. It is unclear how that fire was started.