SPRING VALLEY - A three-story house with an illegal attic living space was damaged by fire early this morning, forcing six people to flee the Prospect Street building, authorities said.

A man living on the upper floor apparently caused the fire by smoking, officials said. The fire to 42 Prospect St. is not considered suspicious, but started in the attic.

"He kept saying he doesn't smoke but we found evidence of smoking," Spring Valley Fire Inspector Frank Youngman said. "We found cigarette butts and ashes in glass containers in every window sill."

But the man should not have been living in the upper floor, Youngman said. The area had one means of leaving, potentially trapping anyone upstairs if a fire broke out on the second floor, he said.

The man had a mattress, hot plate and microwave in the attic, Youngman said.

The house lacked smoke detectors, Youngman said.

Youngman said he hasn't issued violation notices to the owners yet as he continues to investigate. He said the possibility exists the basement also was used for living space in violation of fire and safety codes.

The house is designated by the village as a two-family and is owned by Jean Eddy and Marie Michelle Chatelain, according to the Ramapo Tax Assessor's Office website and Youngman.

They paid $140,000 for the house in September 2000, according to the Ramapo Tax Assessor's Office website. The website says the basement is not finished and the house was built in 1932.

Youngman said the owners told him they were told the house was three-family by the former owner.

Potential violations include lack of smoke detectors and violating the two-family status.

About two dozen firefighters responded to the fire at 4:04 a.m., said Spring Valley firefighter Aaron Lerer, a public information officer for the department.

He said the volunters were confronted by smoke pouring from a third-floor window. Firefighters found flames in a third-floor bedroom and extinguished them in about 10 minutes, he said.

They contained the flames to the room, Lerer said, and no one was injured.

Caroline Sherwin, a Red Cross spokeswoman, said agency volunteers were helping five adults and one child from three families who were displaced.

Sherwin said village police opened their headquarters as a reception center, and that translators were available to help.

Twitter: @MattSpillane, @lohudlegal