BROWNSVILLE - At least seven families are impacted by a neighborhood fire in Brownsville.

The county Fire Marshal's Office and Brownsville investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the fire that started in the attic of an abandoned home.

The flames sparked around 3 p.m. on Friday and the strong winds at the time carried the flames over to the home next door very quickly.

No one was home at the time to make sure their tiniest family members could get out safely.

Firefighters tell us they worked for hours to put the fire out before they found a little dog alive.

"He's safe so I'm glad. My mom was worried about everyone, like the dog, the kitty and like I don't know, I didn't know what to tell her!", says Eduardo Villanueva.

Flames from this abandoned home spread to Villanueva's next door and to his neighbors living behind in a 4-plex.

Watch the video for the full story.