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NORTH ATTLEBORO - A pickup truck crashed into a house on North Washington Street early Monday morning, igniting a fire that spread to the basement of the home before firefighters extinguished the blaze.

No one was hurt in the 1 a.m. accident, but a family of seven, who got out of the home at 420 North Washington St. safely, had to spend the night with a relative.

"The father said he heard the loud bang. Then he saw the truck and smelled smoke. Then, they evacuated the house," fire Lt. Curt Chretien said.

The names of the family members were not immediately available.

The truck, which broke through the foundation, ignited in flames which spread to the basement of the house. The fire was extinguished in less than 20 minutes, Chretien said. Firefighters had to race around the rear of the house to get into the basement because the basement stairs were damaged in the crash, Chretien said.

The driver of the truck, Christine Doderer, 58, of Cumberland, R.I., was outside the truck when police and firefighters arrived and declined medical treatment, police Capt. Daniel Coyle said.

She told police she was a nurse in Boston and was returning home when the accident occurred.

Doderer was traveling south when she veered off North Washington Street, Coyle said. The pickup severed a utility pole, then struck a fire hydrant before crashing into the house, Coyle said.

The crash downed wires from the utility pole and the fire hydrant was imbedded in the rear of the pickup.

Doderer was ticketed for driving to endanger and failing to drive within marked lanes, Coyle said.

Chretien said the couple and five children were outside the house when firefighters arrived.

The fire was contained to the basement, but there was heavy smoke damage elsewhere in the house, Chretien said.