BUFFALO -- A fire on Buffalo's east side has left a family homeless.

Humason Avenue resident Amy Backert says she woke up to a fire and black smoke in the kitchen and quickly evacuated her four kids and boyfriend.

She was able to get one of her dogs out of the house before the fire got out of control.

"My older female puppy, my dog, got out. My other babies - dogs didn't, my cats, we don't know," Backert said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The family is being assisted by the Red Cross.