A family was left without a home Wednesday after fire erupted as they slept.
The fire at the house, located near the Rockingham and Stokes county line, started in the attic, according to firefighters.
The family escaped from the house and there were no injuries reported.
Investigators said the smoke alarm didn't go off because the fire started in the attic.
"The scariest thing about it was that there were so many flames and no indication," Mary Murdock told WXII 12's Robin Lindner.
She said she was "right underneath" the flames for 45 minutes and didn't smell smoke.
She woke her husband and 15-year-old daughter and called 911. The fire department arrived within five minutes, but the damage was done.
Firefighters said a device that most houses don't have might have made a difference -- a heat detector.
It's similar to a smoke alarm, letting you know when the temperature in an area could mean fire.
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