A Port Coquitlam mother and her four children need a new place to live after their home went up in flames Monday morning.

Firefighters were called to Fraserview Street at around 9:30 a.m. to battle what crews called an "extremely stubborn" fire.

"When we got on scene there were no flames showing, but a lot of smoke coming out of every portion of the house," said Fire Chief Nick Delmonico. "It just kind of grew from there."

Images from the scene showed a thick plume of smoke rising from the burning home as crews doused the flames from different angles.

According to Delmonico, the blaze appears to have started in the basement of the home.

The fire was believed to be fueled by some sort of chemical or metal, but the exact cause remains unclear.

Luckily, those who live in the home were not there at the time, and no one was injured.

Officials still haven't been able to get inside the house to survey the damage, but said they'll likely be able to do so by Monday afternoon.

With files from CTV Vancouver's David Molko