Fire engulfed a boarding house in Atlanta on Monday, killing as many as six people, police and news reports said.

Local TV station WBS said the home was a half-way house for people transitioning out of rehab or time in prison.

When fire crews arrived on the scene early Monday, the house was consumed by fire, with flamed shooting through the roof, fire department spokesman Cortez Stafford said.

He would not give a death toll, saying a search of the home is not yet complete. Crews are working carefully because the roof could collapse, he said.

WBS said the tragedy claimed five or six lives.

All were adults and included at least one woman, the station said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Source :AFP