POULSBO – A family escaped from a fast-moving house fire late Dec. 27, just after 11 p.m., near Pioneer Way and the Hilltop gas station.

Working smoke alarms and a quick response by parents saved the sleeping children, Poulsbo Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Matson reported. Two dogs and a cat also managed to escape, but one cat is missing.

Poulsbo Fire Department, Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue, North Kitsap Fire and Rescue, and Navy Region Northwest responded to the fire. When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the front door. Firefighters extinguished the fire within approximately 10 minutes, Matson reported.

The 35-year-old mother and 38-year-old father said they had just returned from the kitchen and sat down in their bedroom when they heard the smoke alarm and crackling noises. They walked into the kitchen and living room area and “all we could see was heavy dark smoke,” the mother said. “We each went to grab the children. My 13-year-old daughter was really hard to wake. I don’t know what I would have done if we didn’t have hardwood floors because I basically dragged her across the floor,” she said.

A 14-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son were also asleep in their rooms when the alarm went off, and escaped. A 9-year-old son was not home at the time of the fire. The mother and 13-year-old daughter were examined by medics but were not transported. No family members or firefighters were injured.

Fire damage appeared to be limited to the living room and ceiling area but there was significant smoke damage throughout the double-wide mobile home, Matson reported. The couple did have homeowner’s insurance but are displaced and receiving assistance from the Red Cross.

The Kitsap County Fire Marshal is investigating. While the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, firefighters say it appeared to have started in the area of the Christmas tree, Matson reported.