FAIRFIELD — Fire erupted early Monday in a three-family Villa Avenue house, leaving nine people homeless.

No one was injured in the 4:59 a.m. blaze that was largely confined to the third floor.

Damage at 256 Villa Ave. was estimated by fire officials at about $100,000.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Monday, according to Fire Marshal William Kessler.

"We know the origin was in the [third-floor] kitchen, but beyond that, it's under investigation," Kessler said. The fire was reported as an oven fire, according to the Fire Department's report.

Disaster relief personnel from the Southeastern Fairfield County chapter of the American Red Cross were on the scene to find temporary lodging for the house's occupants. The town's Building Department declared the house uninhabitable.

Flames also spread into the home's attic, while the first and second floors suffered heavy water damage, Kessler said.

"I was shocked, and I am still in shock," Wanda Szostak, 69, who owns the house, said Monday afternoon.

Szostak, who lives on Rock Ridge Road, confirmed that a couple in their 30s who lived on the third floor had been served with an eviction notice for failure to pay rent. She would not identify the couple, who lived with two children.

Szostak said a couple and child lived on the first floor and two adults lived on the second floor.

Szostak said the house likely will be shuttered for eight months while repairs are done.

"The whole thing is closed. Nobody can get into the house. It's very unpleasant. You have to deal with insurance adjusters, you have to deal with this and that," Szostak said.

Police closed Villa Avenue between Brooklawn and Melville avenues for several hours Monday morning while firefighters battled the blaze.

Szostak said she has owned the house for 35 years. It was built in 1916, stands on 0.17 acre and was most recently assessed at $325,500, according to tax records.

Five engine companies, two ladder companies and a rescue company responded. Bridgeport sent one of the ladder companies, and Bridgeport and Westport firefighters provided backup coverage for Fairfield in case more calls came in.