AUBURN - It was shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday when the Auburn Fire Department received a call for a housefire at 28 Delevan St.

When Auburn firefighters arrived at the scene, visible flames were coming out of the second-story windows, Assistant Chief Martin Corcoran said.

The fire was put out within 15 minutes but the building had sustained severe smoke and fire damage, Corcoran said. His crews were still checking the house later Sunday night for hot spots to make sure the fire did not start up again.

“Fortunately, everybody was all right,” Corcoran said. “No one was hurt; that includes my own people.”

Neither the fire department nor the homeowners knew what started the fire.

Mellisa Colon and Cordell Smith lived in the house with their three children. They are expecting their next child in about three months.

The couple had left their house to drop their children off at the Booker T. Washington Community Center and returned five minutes later to find their home on fire, Smith said.

Corcoran said he would contact the Red Cross on behalf of the family, who have no idea what they're going to do.

“We have no plans, that was our plan,” Smith said, pointing to his house.

Corcoran said an investigation would try to determine what caused the fire.