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Man Saves Family As Fire Destroys Milford Home

MILFORD (CBS) - A family escaped a devastating fire at their home on Oak Tree Drive.

The fire broke out early Sunday morning and quickly spread through the Colonial-style home.

Milford Fire said the blaze started in the front of the home, which is said to be a total loss. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but preliminary reports indicate it may have started on the porch.

"That time of the morning, they are very fortunate someone got up and smelled the smoke," Lt. Frank Ferrante said.

The fire lieutenant said the father smelled smoke and alerted his family to get out of the home.

The father, mother, 19-year-old, 10-year-old and a dog were out of the home when firefighters arrived. The family's cat is missing. "The owner managed to get his 19-year-old daughter, his 10-year-old son, wife and dog out of the house," Ferrante said.

"There was no time to grab anything, they just got themselves out," the fire lieutenant said.

Chris Murphy reached out to his neighbors after the fire. "You saw the front of the house, it was all burnt to a crisp. The first thing I asked is if everyone was alright," Murphy said.

Other neighbors who looked on in horror say it only took seconds for the entire home to be engulfed in flames and smoke. "It was so bright we could see it from out our window. It was terrifying," neighbor Sabrina Pinto said.

Neighbors said they are pitching in to help the family. "You can rebuild everything, but if you lose a kid, you can never replace that," Murphy said.

WBZ-TV's Paul Burton contributed to this report.

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