A fire Thursday afternoon caused "significant damage" to a Mahoning Township home.

The blaze was discovered at about 3 p.m. at a home along Birchwood Drive in the Mahoning Heights section.Assistant Fire Chief Jay Miholick said the fire was reported by "a very alert neighbor." When firefighters arrived on the scene, there were flames in the garage area and on the first floor of the structure.Miholick said "significant damage" occurred to the home, but praised the work done by the first responding firefighters. Most of that damage was to the garage and lower level of the house."The first to arrive were Lehighton firefighters who made a very aggressive attack to prevent a catastrophe," the assistant fire chief said.He added that police officers arrived on the scene before the firefighters. One report from the scene said police tried to control the fire with extinguishers.It was reported that the occupants of the home are the Kugler family.Miholick said the cause of the fire hasn't been determined, but it appears to have started somewhere in the vicinity of the garage. He has requested assistance in his investigation from a state police fire marshall.Responding were firefighters and apparatus from Mahoning Township, Lehighton, Franklin Township, and Jim Thorpe. Miholick said the Franklin and Jim Thorpe departments supplied tank trucks which provided water at the scene. The Lehighton Ambulance Corps also was at the scene.There were no reported injuries.