A fire destroyed a southwest Houston home Thursday, but a smoke detector saved the homeowner's life.

Houston firefighters were called to the home on Triola at Baneway shortly after 1 a.m.

J.T. Green said he was asleep when he woke up to a massive fire.

"I smelled smoke and I got up, and then the house was on fire," Green said.

Green said he tried to put out the flames himself.

"I went outside and got the water hose, but I couldn't get it out. So I called the police," he said.

Firefighters got the blaze under control.

"The occupant told us his smoke alarm woke him up and alerted him to escape in time," said Terry Stone with the Houston Fire Department.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Green said it may have been a grease fire.