SANFORD — A father and his 2-year-old daughter escaped unharmed when fire broke out Friday at their home on 6 Pine St.

Sanford Assistant Fire Chief Steve Cutter said the fire in the older, two-story home appears to have started outside the rear of the structure, but firefighters were still trying to determine the cause.

Cutter said it appears that the fire got through a first floor window and then shot up a staircase to the second floor, where the father and his daughter were at the time.

“They pretty much went through the fire to get out,” he said. But they were not injured.

Cutter said a second alarm was called for additional manpower.

The fire was reported around 11:45 a.m.

Cutter said there was heavy fire and smoke damage, and the house is not habitable.

The American Red Cross of Southern Maine is assisting the family.