A barbecue grill could be to blame for a Friday morning fire on Farm to Market Road near Whitefish that left a family without a home.

Whitefish fire crews responded to the scene at 2 a.m. and found a wood porch fully engulfed in fire and flames creeping inside the house through broken windows.

It’s believed an errant coal from a still-warm charcoal grill caused the fire, Whitefish Interim Fire Chief Joe Page said.

He said all of the residents and a pet cat made it out of the house unharmed before emergency crews arrived.

The home wasn’t destroyed, but Page said the house is not livable due to extensive smoke and heat damage. The fire destroyed a porch, bedroom, bathroom and a few closets.

The residents told Page they were using a charcoal grill the evening before the fire. Page said a hot coal likely fell onto the wood porch to ignite the fire.

“The grill was still standing when we arrived, so being knocked over wasn’t the cause of the fire,” Page said. “At one point, we thought maybe a bear had smelled meat and knocked a coal out of the grill.”

Fire crews from Whitefish, Kalispell, Evergreen, West Valley, Columbia Falls and Olney responded. Crews were on the scene until 5:36 a.m.

Page said there will be no further investigation.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.