UPDATE: Fire Engulfs Royal Oak Home

A small ranch home in northwest Royal Oak went up in flames around 9 p.m. Wednesday. No one was injured in the blaze at 4252 Buckingham, fire officials said. The visibly charred house appears to be a total loss.

The house – west off Woodward and south of 14 Mile – was fully engulfed when the Royal Oak fire and police departments arrived. Several fire trucks responded to the scene. Firefighters quickly put out the crackling fire, which sent up a dark black cloud of smoke that could be seen for miles just before the sun set.

Fire Chief Patrick Mulligan said his firefighters could see the glow in the sky from the station at 13 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue and were quickly on scene.

"We did a good, quick knock down," Mulligan said.

Neighbors and passers-by gathered on the sidewalk watching the blaze. Some said the homeowner was home at the time, but her teenage son was not.

Mulligan said the homeowner and firefighters were safe.

Next-door neighbor Brent Work said the homeowner knocked on his door to alert him of the fire. He does not believe there is any damage to his home.

Work said he didn't know the woman well as she is new to the street.

Work said the blaze was really going. "I've seen fires start and for as bad as that one was it must have been going for a couple of extra minutes," he said. The home was left a frame with a charred black interior.

Other neighbors said the woman had been doing a lot of work on the house since moving in and it was a shame to see such devastation. Neighbors did not know if the woman had family in the area or where she would go for the night.

Fire officials will wait for the house to cool down before continuing the investigation, Mulligan said. The chief did not have any more details nor did he know the cause of the fire.