This contributed photo shows flames coming from the house.

Roanoke Rapids firefighters are working to determine the cause of a fire this afternoon that totaled a house on Gray Street.

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

Deputy Chief Mike Clements said 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. The names of the mother and child were not immediately known and a request for an interview at the scene was declined.

Battalion Chief Jason Patrick said when firefighters arrived the front of the house was essentially a fireball with heavy winds lingering from an overnight storm fueling it.

Fire already reached the attic area and firefighters from both stations used what Patrick described as a blitz attack to quell the attic flames. “The winds were a big factor fueling it.”

Firefighters got the blaze under control in about 20 to 30 minutes. It is unclear at this point where and how the fire started.

Asked whether the house was a total loss, Clements said, “There was a lot of ceiling pulled and a lot of water put on it.”

The fire department called off-duty crews to help and members of the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad were on the scene as well as Halifax County EMS. No firefighters were injured.