Crews work on a fire at a home on Falcon Drive NE Monday afternoon, Jan. 14, 2013. (Jeff Raasch/The Gazette)

Three pets died when fire broke out inside of a northeast Cedar Rapids home Monday afternoon.

Firefighters attempt to resuscitate a pet at the scene of a house fire on Falcon Drive NE in Cedar Rapids Monday afternoon, Jan. 14, 2013. (Jeff Raasch/The Gazette)

Crews rushed to 3359 Falcon Dr. NE around 1:50 p.m. when several 911 callers reported smoke and flames coming from the house. The first firefighters to arrive found flames inside a sun room and on half of a deck on the back side of the house.

No one was home at the time, but two dogs and a cat inside the house died, authorities said.

Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said it did not appear that the fire spread into the house, but heavy smoke damage was present throughout the structure. He said firefighters attacked the fire at an angle from the side of the house, pushing the flames away from the house.

“When you have flames showing from the exterior of the structure, and it has that kind of start, usually you lose the whole house,” Buelow said.

Authorities said the family who lives at the house would be displaced temporarily. The local chapter of the American Red Cross was on the scene to offer assistance.

The house is owned by Gerald and Karla Kubik, authorities said.

An investigation was under way to determine what started the fire.