A residential fire Thursday in the Crossroads area of East Bellevue destroyed all but a few items stored in the home’s garage.

The fire started around 11:10 a.m. in the 1400 block of 168th Avenue Northeast. With the homeowners away, the first person to report the fire was a passerby and by that time flames were seen coming out of a backroom window of the small one-story home.

Fire crews extinguished the flames and confined the fire to the home, but found several dead pet cats after a complete survey.

A family of four lived in the home and they were able to secure alternate housing.

Fire investigators were on scene all day, looking for the cause of the fire. Initial damage estimate is about $200,000. There were no injuries to either firefighters or citizens.