Smoke alarm alerts family to safely escape house fire

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Fire officials said a working smoke alarm helped a family safely escape a house fire early Friday morning.

The St. George Fire Department said it happened on Myrtle Lane around 12:15 a.m. Myrtle Lane is near Highland Road between Staring Lane and Bluebonnet Boulevard.

Eldon Ledoux with SGFD reported flames were shooting through the roof when firefighters arrived on the scene.

He said two people live at the home but seven people were inside at the time of the fire. According to Ledoux, they were awoken by a smoke alarm and saw smoke billowing from the attic.

It took firefighters about an hour to get the flames under control. The home has major fire and water damage. A large portion of the roof burned in the fire.

The cause of the fire and where it started have not been determined.

A neighbor said the fire rekindled around 5 a.m. Firefighters were reportedly called back out to the scene to get it under control.

The fire is still being investigated.