The cause of a Thursday afternoon fire on Gray Street remains undetermined, Roanoke Rapids Fire Chief Stacy Coggins said this evening.

Coggins did say it is believed the fire started in the front room of the house.

Coggins briefed city council at its work session this evening on the fire, saying Battalion Chief Jason Patrick commanded firefighters as 25 mile per hour winds fueled the blaze. “There were no injuries and neighbors got the people out of the house,” Coggins said.

The fire occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. at a two-story house at 938 Gray Street.

The occupant and her daughter were sleeping in the downstairs living room area when they awoke to smell of smoke and someone beating on their door.

When firefighters arrived the front of the house was essentially a fireball with heavy winds lingering from an overnight storm fueling it.

Firefighters got the blaze under control in about 20 to 30 minutes.