Southport family escapes early morning fire unharmed after being alerted by neighbor

A family escaped their burning home safely early Monday morning after being alerted by a neighbor.

The call came in around 4:30 a.m. from 726 Hopkins St., near the intersection with Cedar Street, according to Southport Fire Chief James Allington.

The right side of the house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, and there was also exterior damage to an adjacent house at 724 Hopkins St., Allington said.

The family was sleeping at the time but fortunately someone from outside the home awakened them, according to Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom, whose office is among agencies that responded to the blaze.

"A neighbor who was heading out for work saw the flames and ran over to the house to alert them," Schrom said. "I believe it was a man and his three children that live there. They may not have known about the fire until it was too late if the neighbor hadn’t seen them."

The house sustained heavy fire, smoke and water damage and will probably be a total loss, Allington said.

The family rented the home, and the owner, who lives out of state, has been notified, according to Allington.

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The origin and cause of the fire are still under investigation, Allington said, although it appears the blaze started outside the residence.

Investigators from the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control are assisting in the probe. Southport got mutual aid at the scene from the Elmira, Pine City, Wellsburg and Webb Mills fire departments.

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The family is being assisted by the American Red Cross.

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Early morning Southport fire heavily damages home, family unharmed