A family of five and a dog safely escaped a fire in its San Jose home early Sunday, alerted to the danger by smoke alarms.
Fire crews were called about 1:20 a.m. to a house in the 4600 block of Rotherhaven Way, San Jose fire Capt. Rob Brown said.
Arriving firefighters spotted flames burning across the front of the home, Brown said.
Crews were able to get the fire under control by 2 a.m., the
captain said.
Brown said the fire appeared to have started in a front room of the
house, where flames torched a Christmas tree and several newly wrapped gifts
beneath it.
The fire heavily damaged the home's front rooms with smoke and soot damage was caused to the rest of the house.
The exact cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Two adults, three children and the family dog all got out safely when they heard the smoke detectors activate.
The fire captain said the incident illustrates the importance of having working smoke detectors throughout the home.
"In this case, it really did save their lives," he said.
The family has been displaced and plans to stay with friends and relatives, he said.
