Five adults and two children were displaced by a fire that tore through a house in Buchanan Thursday afternoon.

A neighbor on Lindsey Avenue told News 12 that he noticed smoke coming out the side of the chimney and called 911.

Buchanan Fire Department Chief Robert Outhouse said the place is likely a total loss.

The Red Cross was on its way early Thursday evening to assist those who were displaced.

A mother and son who lived at the home said they were at work and at school when they learned about the fire. They arrived to find they had lost everything in the fire.

Outhouse said it was tough to see children lose their home and all their belongings.

"It's unfortunate when you see devastation due to fire. You always think about your family and what you would do, so we tried to save what we could for the family. We're just thankful everybody got out," he added.

An exact cause of the fire was not immediately clear as of Thursday evening. Fire officials, however, said they were focusing on the right side of the house where it appears the fire climbed up.

Outhouse said at least one firefighter was treated for exhaustion at the scene.