A woman and four children escaped unharmed from an overnight house fire in Trenton.

Quinte West firefighters responded to a blaze that began in the basement of a century old home (on Dundas Street West) just west of Trenton's downtown at 4 a.m.

Fire Chief John Whalen says it quickly spread to the two upper floors, and it took fire crews about two hours to bring the blaze under control.

No one was hurt, and Whalen says the damage estimate will be $250,000 to $300,000.

Whalen says the cause of the fire has not been confirmed, but it appears to be electrical.