(WSAZ Photo / John Green)

(WSAZ Photo / John Green)

UPDATE @ 11/16/12 4:45 p.m.
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mother and her three children lost nearly everything they own when their house caught fire early Friday morning.

It happened on Montrose Drive in South Charleston.

“I seen a bunch of flashing lights; police and fire trucks. I heard the sirens and everything,” Tyrone Anthony, a neighbor, said.

Anthony got an early wake-up call Friday when firefighters responded to the house a few doors down.

“There was a lot of smoke bellowing out of the house, so I was just hoping there wasn't anybody in there,” Anthony said.

The family that lives in the house wasn’t home at the time.

Firefighters say it appears to have started in the basement. That made the floors above unstable and difficult for firefighters to put out the flames.

“It could have been tragic had they been here,” South Charleston Assistant Fire Chief Virgil White said.

This is something Anthony understands all too well. He lost his house in a fire years ago, and knows first-hand what this family is going through.

“Losing everything; you know that smoke and water pretty much destroys everything you got,” Anthony said.

The cause of that fire is still under investigation. White says the Red Cross is stepping in to help the family get back on their feet.

The fire was reported about 3:40 a.m. Friday at 325 Montrose Drive.

Firefighters tell WSAZ.com they believe the fire started in the basement or living room area.

No one was home at the time of the fire. Right now, they are trying to contact the family that lives there.

South Charleston Police closed the 300-block of Montrose Drive for several hours until the scene was cleared.

Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.

Metro 911 received a call of a house on fire at 3:40 a.m. Friday.

The house is located at 325 Montrose Drive.

A Metro dispatcher told WSAZ.com that no one was home at the time of the fire.

South Charleston Police said the 300-block of Montrose Drive will be closed until further notice. No word yet on when it'll reopen.

Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.