Family escapes as Peoria home goes up in flames

PEORIA, AZ - A family of three and their pets are safe after a fire tore through their Peoria home early Friday.

The structure appears to be a total loss and the fire was so intense it spread to a neighbor’s home. That home suffered mostly smoke and water damage.

Peoria Deputy Fire Chief Rick Picard said the fire at the home near 67th and Olive avenues started around 12:20 a.m.

Picard said it appears the fire started outside on the north side of the home where the utilities come into the house.

He said when crews arrived, the home was almost fully engulfed in flames with fire extending to the second house. They called a first alarm assignment to bring more firefighters and equipment to the scene.

A man, his wife and child had already gotten out of the home. They told an ABC15 crew that firefighters saved their two birds.

Firefighters had to go into a defensive mode to fight the fire after the roof began to collapse on the crews inside. They then fought the fire from outside the home using foam.

No firefighters were injured, according to Picard.

The residents were asleep when they heard a loud bang.

“Both the residents reported they were woken by a loud noise outside which they described as a jet engine … and that woke them up and they found a heavy amount of fire,” Picard said.

Picard said a Good Samaritan stopped to bang on the front door to warn the family about the fire, but by then they were already up and on the way out.