TRAVERSE CITY -- A family's house in Traverse City is severely damaged after a fire ripped through it Saturday afternoon.

Traverse City Fire Department crews say the fire started at around 12:20pm Saturday afternoon at a home on corner of West 15th and South Maple. Fire crews were able to get the blaze under control within an hour and say it appears it started in the utility area of the house.

The home belongs to a family of four and fortunately no one was home at the time of the fire. However three of the family's pets did not survive.The majority of the damage was inside the house, we're told the walls and ceilings suffered severe smoke, water and fire damage.

Crews are still trying to determine a cause.