FIREfighters and Red Cross workers were involved in a joint effort to help a family last night after their home was damaged in a blaze.
The fire in Eden Crescent, Darlington, is believed to have started in a bedroom cupboard.
Neighbours were alerted by a fire alarm and called the fire call brigade at about 5pm.
No one was in the house when the fire was discovered.
Acting Station Officer Brett Clayton, from Darlington Fire Station, said: "The bedroom and the upstairs is quite severely damaged with smoke."
Acting Station Officer Clayton said the younger members of the family were staying elsewhere overnight, but it would not be necessary for the family to move out completely.
Red Cross workers were last night helping the family with aid as part of a long-running link with Durham County Fire and Rescue.
The fire service can call on a support team, which helps fire victims with clothing, bedding and such things as photographs for insurance claims.
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