Nobody was injured when a kitchen fire spread into the walls and a concealed ceiling space of a North Whidbey home Thursday morning.

Chief John Clark with North Whidbey Fire and Rescue said firefighters received the report of a fire at a North View Lane home at 10:21 a.m. His department responded with mutual aid from the Navy fire department and Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue.

Three people were home at the time of the blaze and got out safely.

The fire started on a kitchen stove in the older house and then spread upward inside the walls, which “acted like a chimney,” Clark explained.

Firefighters attacked the flames in a concealed ceiling area from two sides. They cut holes in the roof on the outside and pulled the ceiling down on the inside to extinguish the persistent conflagration, the chief said.

He explained that the fire was under control by about 11:30 a.m. and completely extinguished by about 1 p.m.

The Red Cross was notified to help the residents since the house is uninhabitable.