By ERIC JOHNSON AND AMANDA LILLIE

A house fire broke out at 213 Clinton Street in Mapleview Tuesday evening, causing no injuries but leaving two cats and three birds dead.

The fire started just before 6 p.m. in the basement of the home. Mapleview Fire Chief Mike Langstaff said the fire marshall has yet to confirm the cause of the blaze, but Langstaff is 99 percent sure it was electrical.

“When we made the inspection there was a bunch of blown fuses, so I was thinking maybe the circuits were overloaded,” Langstaff said.

The Stehliks, a family of seven, live in the house, although only five people were home at the time of the fire. James Stehlik discovered the fire and initally tried to put it out with water.

“Flames were just shooting out,” Stehlik said. “I tried dumping water on it, but it just spread so quick.”

Five Mapleview firefighters and 10 Austin firefighters responded to the scene. They did the final walk-through around midnight after the fire was completely extinguished.

“It was contained to the basement,” Langstaff said. “On the main floor in the kitchen there was a little bit of damage, and then minor smoke damage throughout the house.”

Langstaff said the Stehliks are staying at the Holiday Inn until they are able to deal with insurance and go back to the damaged home.

He also said the fire could have been much more catastrophic had it not been contained so quickly.

“It’s not actually that bad for how bad it could have been,” Langstaff said.