A fire ripped through the home of a Washington-area resident late Tuesday afternoon, leaving extensive damage in its wake.

The fire occurred in the home of Tony Lotta, a resident of the Cedar Circle community east of the city.

The blaze apparently began a little before 5 p.m., said neighbor Judy Smith.

Smith called 911 after Lotta came over to ask for help.

Venturing outside, Smith saw smoke coming out of her neighbor’s chimney and an air vent.

“That’s when I called 911,” she said.

The full extent of the damage to Lotta’s home couldn’t be determined immediately.

Firefighters authorized to speak about the matter were engaged in fighting the fire.

It did appear that part of the home’s roof had caved in at some point during the event.

The air around the bend in the road where Lotta lives smelled of smoke, adding to the smoke blown into Beaufort County from distant wildfires in other counties.

Lotta appeared unharmed as he watched firefighters battle the conflagration.

“I was alerted when a smoke alarm in the house went off that was near a cold air return,” he said.

He couldn’t determine where the fire originated.

Lotta’s 5-year-old, male cat, Cracker, was overcome by smoke.

A passerby, reportedly a neighbor, revived the cat with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Smith reported.

“Seems to be fine,” Lotta said of his pet.

Smith said many people in what she described as this mature neighborhood have lived there for years.

“We try to look out for each other,” she said.

At least three emergency-services agencies responded to the incident: Bunyan and Chocowinity volunteer fire departments and Broad Creek Emergency Medical Services.

Further information couldn’t be obtained Tuesday evening.