A house fire at 2099 Lauderdale St. left a home in ruins and its occupants, who escaped the blaze unscathed, concerned with the welfare of irreplaceable possessions.

Eileen Bell, her daughter, LaTherisa Norris, and Norris’ two children were in the house when the fire began.

“My daughter was on the porch doing someone’s hair,” said Bell. “She went back in her room in the back, and she said the house was on fire. I’ve been here five years, and I’ve never had a problem with the wiring and stuff.”

Neither was certain of the cause of the fire. Norris said it began in a room where she had stacked several pieces of her furniture. She said nothing in the room was plugged into a wall outlet.

“It just happened so fast,” said Norris. “I smelled smoke, and then I opened the door and flames shot in.”

The Selma Fire Department was unsure of the cause of the fire as well.

“The cause was undetermined,” said Selma Fire Station 5 Captain Alton Green. “It came from a middle bedroom. Because of all the contents in the room, it was really difficult to determine if anything was plugged up.”

In describing the damage, Green said the house was a loss.

“We were able to stop fire from progressing,” said Green. “Most damage came from smoke, heat and water.”

It wasn’t the damage to the structure that most concerned Norris. Her 1-year-old son died in the last year, and pictures of him were at risk. With the pictures at the front of the house, she hoped they could be salvaged.Their status was not available at press time.