POULSBO — A young couple woken up by the sounds of their barking dogs escaped from an early morning house fire in Poulsbo. The fire, which investigators determined was caused by a barbecue grill that was stored in the garage before it cooled, broke out about 1 a.m. in the Mesford neighborhood near North Kitsap High School.

The couple, a 23-year-old male and 24-year-old female, lost their two vehicles — a Volkswagen Golf and a 2009 Jeep Wagoneer — in the fire. They did have renter’s insurance, according to a press release from the Poulsbo Fire Department.

“My dogs woke me up because they started acting crazy,” the woman stated in the press release. “When I got up, I heard the smoke alarms. We looked outside the window and noticed a glow; at first we thought it was the neighbor’s house. Then we heard explosions and realized our garage was on fire. My husband screamed to get out. It’s a good thing because we didn’t realize the fire had already spread to the house.”