BRUIN — The cause of a blaze Monday that destroyed a two-story rental house on School Street has been ruled “undetermined,” according to the state police investigator.

Trooper DuWayne Baird, a deputy fire marshal, does not believe the fire to be suspicious, but rather that an electrical issue could be to blame.

“The origin was in an upstairs bedroom against a wall by an outlet,” Baird said Tuesday. “There was a power strip with a lot of cords that had fire damage.”

Damage to the house and contents was estimated at $150,000, but no one was injured in the fire that began around 4:45 p.m., authorities said.

Three people, including an infant, were home and managed to escape without injury. Two dogs, a cat and multiple pet snakes were rescued from the house.

Robert Stewart of Chicora owns the home, which was believed to have been built in the 1930s, said Eric Feicht, chief of the Bruin Volunteer Fire Department.

Daniel Rowe, 59, and his family had been renting the home for about 20 years or so. He lived there with his daughters, Jaclyn and Kali, both of whom are in their 20s; Jaclyn's 4-month-old daughter; and Jaclyn's boyfriend.

Stewart had homeowner's insurance, and Rowe had renter's insurance.

Rowe's daughters and granddaughter were in the first-floor living room Monday afternoon when they heard the upstairs smoke detector going off, Baird said.

Around that same time, they smelled smoke. They all eventually got out, but not before Jaclyn went upstairs to find the fire in her father's bedroom.

She also subsequently managed to scoop up the family's dogs and a cat.

Firefighters apparently had to round up two other unconventional pets — snakes — that got loose during the blaze.

“The fire ruptured the glass (tanks)” which held the reptiles, Feicht said.

Flames had engulfed the second story by the time crews arrived, fire officials said.

“We started with a defensive attack and moved to an interior attack,” Feicht said.

Firefighters made their way up the stairs and about 30 minutes later, the fire was contained.

Fire damage was confined to the second floor, but there was smoke damage throughout the house and water damage to the ground floor.

Monday's call was the second one Bruin firefighters answered at the home this month.

On Jan. 6, a small electrical fire, possibly caused by a faulty paper shredder, ignited on the first floor, authorities said. The family had extinguished the fire before crews arrived.

The local chapter of the American Red Cross was notified after Monday's fire, Feicht said, and assisted the family with emergency needs, including temporary housing and clothing.