The Red Cross has been contacted to assist people who lost their home and belongings to a fire in New Castle early Wednesday.

The fire broke out in a duplex on the 900 block of North Liberty Street at around midnight, forcing three residents and a dog to flee.

Firefighters faced a challenge battling the flames because the duplex was on a hill.

Crews poured water on neighboring homes to keep the fire from spreading.

Investigators are looking for the cause of the fire.