A family with four young children got out just in time early Wednesday when flames engulfed their Rockland home.
NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that the four-alarm fire broke out in a historic home on North Avenue about 3 a.m.
The sleeping family was awakened by smoke alarms. Four young girls live in the home and two were rescued by a police officer who was one of the first to arrive when the call came in.
"There were three laying in a bed downstairs and one in a crib. I just grabbed the first ones I saw," Rockland police officer Rick Phelps said.
Those girls were 2 and 3 years old. Their father grabbed an older, 7-year-old sister and their mother took the baby out of the house. Almost everything else inside was destroyed.
"I couldn't care about anything else in the house right now, as long as my kids are out," the childrens' mother, Lori Childs, said.
The homeowners said the fire was sparked by a malfunctioning bathroom ceiling fan. The alarms awakened the parents who realized the house was on fire.
"When I opened up the door the smoke just billowed out, it was like, unbelievable. It was like real thick, black sooty smoke and I knew at that point it wasn't a matter of trying to get the fire out, I was trying to get the kids out," homeowner Rudy Childs said.
