It was close call for a couple of Midway residents after the front porch to their mobile home caught fire in the early morning hours.

DeKalb County Fire Department Captain Brian Williams told the Smithville Review that on Friday, June 25, at 12:52 a.m., E-911 received a call reporting a fire at the residence of Diane Roller at 843 Old West Point Road in the Midway community.

According to Captain Williams, Roller heard a noise and awoke Gavin McDaniel. When he opened the door, he found the front porch ablaze. Midway Engine 63, Johnson’s Chapel Engine 68, and Four Seasons engine 57 responded to the scene, along with the Tanker 1 and members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.

Upon arrival, firefighters found the front porch of the home ablaze. Fire crews worked quickly to extinguish the blaze, but the home suffered moderate fire and smoke damage, including inside the home.

Both Roller and McDaniel had escaped through the back door of the home, but a couple of pets were left inside. Firefighters were able to rescue a pet lizard, but another pet, a chinchilla, died in the incident.

Roller was renting the mobile home from the owner, Alton Cantrell. The cause of the blaze is undetermined.