HALIFAX -- Five people are displaced and a pet is dead after a fire ripped through a home in Moncton, N.B., early Tuesday morning.

Firefighters were called to the semi-detached two-storey home on Clarendon Drive after 2 a.m.

Moncton Fire Platoon Chief Brian MacDonald told CTV News a child living in the duplex awoke to noises and realized there was a fire, so he alerted his parents. The couple and their two young children escaped without injury.

Two adults -- a resident and a visitor -- who were in the other side of the duplex also escaped without injury.

However, a cat was killed in the blaze.

MacDonald says the roof was on fire and there were flames coming out the front doors of the home when crews arrived on scene.

It took firefighters about an hour to bring the fire under control, though they remained on scene for more than three hours.

The fire destroyed the home, along with a backyard shed. Two neighbouring homes are also damaged.

Investigators believe the fire started on the back deck, but the cause remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Red Cross is assisting the five residents displaced by the fire. The organization will assist with emergency purchases, such as food and clothing.

The Red Cross has also arranged emergency lodging for the couple and two children. The woman in the second unit is staying with a friend.

The organization says it will continue to offer support while both households await damage assessments and additional assistance through insurance.