45 firefighters battle fire that left Durham family homeless

A Durham family was left homeless after a fire broke out at their home Tuesday evening.

Lebanon Fire Chief Travis Clements said that flames were already through the roof of the Continental Drive home when the first truck arrived at the scene.

Clements said that once a fire breaks through the roof, it is harder to control because it is ventilated.

It took 45 firefighters from five departments about an hour to douse the flames.

The family that lives in the house wasn’t home when the fire started, authorities said.

The neighbor who called 911 to report the fire said he was driving by when he saw smoke. He said he hopped out of his car, looked through the kitchen window of the home and saw flames.

Neighbors said the family has a dog, but the animal was not in the home when the fire started.

Authorities have not yet determined what started the fire.