A fire destroyed a house in Mount Vernon and caused extensive damage to other buildings overnight.

Fire officials say flames broke out at a three-story house on South Third Avenue just before 11 p.m. Sunday.

Tanisha Davis says her family owned the house for 50 years. Davis and her daughter had just moved out and the house was vacant, except for her cat, her dog and all the family belongings.

She says that people saw a former tenant who was mentally ill go back to the home Sunday night to use it for squatting.

Neighbors got the dog out, but the cat perished in the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Nine people who live in other buildings have been displaced because of the fire. The Red Cross is now working to help those displaced residents.