KATY, Texas – A family escaped after their northwest Harris County home caught fire Friday and nearly trapped them all inside.
Firefighters were called just before 2 a.m. to a home in the 6900 block of Prairie Village Dr.
A man inside woke up to smoke and fire alarms, fire officials said. He tired to put the fire out, but couldn't.
He woke up the other 7 people in the home, including 3 children, a 1 and 2-year-old, and got them out.
Flames blocked the front entrance and garage, so the family had to escape out the rear of the home.
"It's hard. It's family. It's just hard," one resident said. "I'm glad that they are okay. It doesn't matter the material stuff, we don't care about that, it's the family, you know."
Fire officials said the fire started in the attic.
The home did not have working fire alarms.
Investigators said that with colder temperatures it may have been a heater that caused the fire.
Firefighters are warning people to have their furnaces checked and to make sure smoke detectors are working properly.