An early Wednesday morning fire in Houston substantially damaged a home in Houston

HOUSTON — Houston Fire Department (HFD) Chief Christian Hartley said the call came in at 2:40 a.m. from the occupants of a two-story home on Robin Hood Drive in the Enchanted Forest Subdivision. Hartley said Houston was joined by firefighters from Willow, West Lakes, and Central Mat-Su departments, along with Mat-Su EMS.

"The woman just happened to get up and saw the fire through the back window," Hartley said. "The fire started in an outbuilding about five feet away from the home. She woke her husband and he tried to fight it with five fire extinguishers but he couldn't get the upper-hand."

Hartley said the couple and their five dogs were able to evacuate the structure safely. He said when HFD firefighters arrived, the blaze had spread to the home's second story on one side of the structure. The chief said, although it remains under investigation, the fire's cause is believed to be electrical. He said about 25 firefighters and eight units were on-scene for almost five hours.

The homeowners were not insured and the structure was significantly damaged. Firefighters cleared the scene at 7:30 a.m. Hartley said the Alaska Red Cross was assisting the family with lodging, financial assistance, and comfort kits and will assist this family with additional resources to help in their recovery.

"The Red Cross is always there to help out usually while we're still fighting the fire," said Hartley. "No one was injured. That's the most important part."