2 Children Escape Oceanside Townhouse Fire

The children were alone in the home and asleep when they were awaked by the fire alarm

A quick-thinking teenager got herself and her brother out of their burning townhome without injury Wednesday, Oceanside officials said.

The fire occurred just after 4 a.m. on Via Esmarca, east of Interstate 5 and west of El Camino Real just north of State Route 78.

A 14-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were alone in the home and asleep when they were awaked by the fire alarm.

The teenager was able to get her brother out of the home safely and then called 911 and her father and grandfather who were at work at the time.

The children's grandfather who identified himself as Lionel said he had just left the home at 3 a.m. for work. When he learned of the fire, he rushed home to find the children safe.

"I smelled the smoke a block away, two blocks away," he said.

No one was in the room where the fire started, officials said. The childrenโ€™s mother was out of town.

Firefighters cut open windows of the townhome and made a hole in the roof. They say they were able to get the fire out in minutes.

Even though the fire was kept in one room, there was smoke damage throughout the second.

No one was injured.

Oceanside Fire Battalion Chief Terry Collis said the teen did everything right when she got up and out of the home quickly and dialed 911.

He also said homeowners should make sure the batteries in their smoke detectors have fresh batteries and are working properly.

โ€œThey heard it, they got up and they got out and it probably saved their lives,โ€ Collis said.

The San Diego chapter of the American Red Cross has offered to help the two adults, two children and their dog find a place to stay. 

According to the Oceanside Fire Department, structural damage is estimated to be $80,000 and damage to contents is about $30,000.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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