Fire officials are trying to determine what caused flames to spread through a section of a Halifax rooming house Sunday night in below freezing temperatures.

The fire at the rooming house on Preston Street broke out just as the sun was going down. Neighbours rushed out to see smoke and fire pouring from the eves, filling the air with sparks.

"We received a call of smoke showing in the roofline of the building," said Cliff Messervey, a division commander with the Halifax fire department. He said one tenant was home at the time, but he made it out safely when the fire began.

Messervey said it was a stubborn fire, and it burned along the right side of the house.

“There are multiple structures within the roof,” he said. “That’s causing a little bit of trouble for us.”

The house is subdivided into small apartments. Tommy Grand, who lives next door, said a number of tenants who live in the burned building are students at Dalhousie University. Grand’s apartment also filled with smoke but he said there was no other damage.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to blast water down on the fire, then went inside with axes.

Preston Street was closed between Quinpool Road and Pepperell Street while fire crews put out the flames.