WACO (July 9, 2009)—A Waco woman and her 43-year-old son were homeless Thursday after an early morning fire heavily damaged their home.

Firefighters responded to the fire at around 4:20 a.m. in the 900 block of North 14th Street in Waco.

The first crews to arrive at the scene reported flames coming from a rear room and the back wall of the wood frame house.

The woman told firefighters her son might still be in the burning house, but a search determined he was not inside.

Flames gutted and bedroom and destroyed a porch.

The rest of the house sustained smoke damage.

The American Red Cross was assisting the two displaced residents Thursday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.