Four adults and two children escaped without injury after a home on Taranaki Drive in Cole Harbour caught fire and went up in flames Tuesday evening, according to fire officials.

"The house is probably a total loss," said Halifax Fire division commander Corey Beals.

Kyle Arthur was playing basketball down the street when he saw smoke coming from the house. (CBC) ​"We had heavy fire on the exterior as well as the interior," he said.

He said the house at 171 Taranaki Drive was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and it took between 20 and 25 minutes to get the fire under control.

Beals said flames also burned the siding of a house next door.

Kyle Arthur and his family live just down the street.

"I was outside playing basketball and I looked back and I saw some smoke and I came up to check it out and the house was in flames," he said.

Investigators are on the way to the scene to determine the cause.