A Kent family managed to safely escape their residential home after it caught fire Dec. 3 near Pacific Raceways.

According to a Mountain View Fire and Rescue press release, the homeowner woke up around 5 a.m. when he noticed the smoke and flames inside of the house. He immediately retreated back to his bedroom and told his daughter and wife to get out of the house.

He and his wife were able to escape through their bedroom window towards the back yard, while their daughter escaped through her bedroom window towards the front yard.

Outside, the husband tried to spray water on the fire with the garden hose but the hose was frozen.

He then went to the front yard to try another hose as his daughter called the fire department. By the time fire fighters responded, the house was fully engulfed by the flames.

The fire extended to the neighbor’s house causing minor damage before it was eventually put out.

According to the press release, an investigator determined that a power strip had caused the fire after finding that several computers and a space heater were plugged into a single power strip.

The total loss was approximately $250,000 in damage to the home, which was located at Southeast 308th Street and 148th Avenue Southeast.

Fire authorities are advising residents to limit the number of electrical items plugged into a power strip. It is also advised to never plug a space heater into a power strip or extension chord. Space heaters should be plugged directly into the wall and away from combustibles.

For more information contact Tim Perciful at tperciful@kcfd44.org or 253-508-7273.