Four people escaped from a blaze that took down the entire ceiling of a recreation room in a home in the 9700 block of Carr Circle in Westminster on Saturday evening.
“Mom, Grandma and two kids were in the basement of the home at the time of the fire,” according to a Westminster Fire Department release Sunday.
“The smoke alarms did not alert them of the fire, but luckily they heard a noise and investigated. The four escaped through the thick smoke,” the release said.
One firefighter received a slight burn in the blaze, which was reported at 7:18 p.m.
A dog, cat and four lizards were also rescued.
Firefighters were fighting the fire when they heard a loud boom and crash that they assumed was the roof collapsing.
The firefighters “vacated the house … while other crews attacked the fire from the rear of the house,” according to the release.
They later determined the ceiling of the two-story recreation room had collapsed.
Damage to the single-family home is estimated at $200,000.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The residents received $500 from the Westminster Firefighters Fire Victims Benefit fund and hotel vouchers.
“It is imperative to have working smoke alarms in your home,” the department release said.
The department suggested that people replace batteries in all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms next weekend at the same time they reset clocks for daylight saving time on March 8.
