Firemen battle a Sunday evening blaze that extensively damaged this residence on Lexington Avenue. Food left on the stove may have been the cause of a house fire that heavily damaged a Lexington Road duplex Sunday night.

No one was injured in the blaze at 633 Lexington Rd. The home, owned by Ricky and Shelby Johnson, was reported to be on fire in a 911 call at 7:50 p.m.

When firefighters arrived, they found the left side of the home, occupied by the Johnsons, to be completely involved in fire, with fire showing from windows in front and back. The Johnsons, with their three minor children, were not at home at the time of the fire, Fire Chief Alan Poss said.

The tenants in the right half of the duplex, Neal Thornton, Patricia Morgan, and her daughter Simona Morgan, escaped without injury.

Washington-Wilkes firefighters attacked the fire from the inside to keep the flames from the right side of the duplex. “It was difficult moving in,” said Chief Poss, “but they knocked the fire down inside, then moved to put out the rest.”

The fire damage to the structure was extensive, he said, with two rooms heavily damaged.

As to the cause of the fire, the homeowner had been gone when the fire started, but returned, Poss said, because he thought he might have left something on the stove. “Luckily, they have insurance,” he said.