A woodburning stove was the apparent cause of a house fire that began at 5:58 p.m. Tuesday at 68 Oak Street in Sharpsville and caused extensive damage to the home of Tony and Linda Smith, firefighters said.

Sharpsville Fire Chief Andrew Totin said this morning a woodburning stove in the basement in the rear of the house caused the fire but damaged the area so much firefighters could not determine what went wrong with the stove.

The fire damaged two stories at the back of the house while heat and smoke damaged the rest of the two-story house.

No one was injured in the fire. The Smiths have insurance and are staying at a local hotel after turning down Red Cross assistance, Totin said.

Totin did not have an estimate on the damage and said an insurance adjuster was scheduled to come in today.

Sharpsville Assistant Fire Chief Edwin Getway said Tuesday the Smiths were not at home when the fire started. When they came home, they opened the door and found heavy smoke. They then left and called 911 from a neighbor’s house, Getway said. The Smiths declined to comment.

Peter Handle, who lives nearby on Walnut Street, said he saw flames coming from the back of the house. Several other witnesses at the scene also reported flames shooting from the rear of the house.

Hermitage, Patagonia and South Pymatuning fire departments assisted at the scene, Totin said.