A family of six lost their home and three pets when their house caught on fire Tuesday morning in northwest Atlanta.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at a one-story home on Rosemary Street about 11:45 a.m., Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford said.

Two adults and four children live there, but none of them were home when the fire began, authorities said. The blaze killed three of the family’s pets, including a dog, a bird and a turtle, Stafford said.

The family’s pet snake was initially thought to have died in the fire, but was later discovered alive and returned to its owners, authorities said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but not before it badly damaged the family’s home. The cause is still under investigation.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

In other news: 

An A4-15 platform rifle was found hidden under a jacket at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Walt Banks Road.

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