A fire this morning heavily damaged a house near the General Richard Butler Bridge.

The fire broke out shortly before 8:30 a.m. at 120 W. Quarry St. and quickly engulfed the two-story frame house.

Rebecca Holmes rents the house with her three children, and they were home at the time of the fire, said her mother Martha Holmes, who lives next door. Also in the house where Martha Holmes' two other grandchildren.

When the fire broke out, Rebecca Holmes and the five children ran next door to her mother's house. Marth Holmes said they were frightened, but not hurt.

“They all got out safely,” she said.

Martha Holmes said her daughter turned on the furnace shortly before the fire broke out. She said her daughter lived there for about two months.

She said the family will stay with her for now. She was not sure if her daughter or the property has insurance.

Firefighters from the city fire department knocked out most of the external flames by 8:40 a.m., but flames in the upper floor of the frame house rekindled after firefighters cut into the roof about 9:10 a.m.

Firefighters also worked to stop the flames from spreading to Martha Holmes' house.