No one was injured in a morning house fire at 211 Monroe Street, but Roanoke Rapids firefighters said the mill house was likely a total loss.

A cause has yet to be determined, Chief Stacey Coggins said.

Elliot Campbell, who lives in the house with family, said he believes the cause may have been in the wiring as the fire started soon after a family member attempted to reset the breaker box following a power outage.

Family members observed smoke and flames and Campbell said he ushered them to safety outside. “I went half way up the stairs. There was so much smoke I couldn't see.”

Campbell said he wasn't sure what the family's immediate plans would be, despite having relatives in the immediate area and Red Cross assistance that was dispatched to the scene soon after the fire, which was reported shortly before 8 this morning.

As of this report firefighters speculate the fire most likely started upstairs. An initial attack was called off as the upstairs floor became spongy, Coggins said. “Heavy winds fed the fire. It was unsafe for us to enter. We're monitoring the situation.”

Firefighters cut holes in the side of the house to contain flames that got in walls and tore shingles from the second floor roof.

Firefighters from Gaston assisted and the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad was also on the scene as well as Halifax EMS. About 50 firefighters responded, Coggins said.