Smoke filled the air and fire engines lined the street of Alamo Way in North Whidbey Thursday after a house caught fire while the owner was at work in Everett.

A neighbor called to report the house was on fire at 11:33 a.m., according to North Whidbey Fire and Rescue Chief John Clark.

A WhidbeyHealth ambulance was the first to arrive on scene, shortly followed by North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island firefighters and crews from the Mount Erie Fire Department on Fidalgo Island.

“When I got here, there was a lot of smoke coming out of the house and we had fire coming out of the left side of the house,” Clark said.

Clark said that fire crews attacked the blaze from the outside first before moving inside the single-story building.

While no one was injured in the fire, there were two cats and six dogs inside the home.

Both cats and three of the dogs were rescued, but the remaining dogs — puppies — were trapped in the room where the fire is believed to have originated, Clark said.

Clark said he suspects that the puppies were unable to jump over a baby gate in the room’s doorway. The surviving animals were taken in by neighbors until the resident returned.

The residence is in an unlivable condition as a result of the fire, according to Clark.

Red Cross responded to help the resident. Clark said that she has family in the area who will be helping her.

As of Thursday evening, the cause of the fire was still under investigation, according to Clark.