EAST PROVIDENCE –– About 13 people safely escaped a house fire early Wednesday morning that started in the basement of a single-family home at 215 Bourne Ave.

The fire caused “quite extensive damage” to the ranch house, including to the family’s Christmas tree, which was knocked over, and presents for the holiday, East Providence Fire Battalion Chief Stephen Camille said yesterday.

The fire was “definitely accidental,” Camille said, but it remains under investigation. The area in the basement near the boiler sustained considerable damage, he said.

Relatives were visiting from Canada, Camille said.

—Kate Bramson