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Smoke alarm saves family from house fire in Adelaide's south

Smoke alarm saves family from house fire in Adelaide's south

A smoke alarm has helped a woman and her four children escape a fire in their housing trust home in Adelaide’s south.

Michelle Rowden was cooking dinner for her kids just before 6.30pm yesterday when the fire broke out at her Christies beach home.

She said the smoke alarm went off and her son found flames in his bedroom.

“We got all the kids out, threw the dog out the front,” she said.

“The roof caved in as we were going out the front door.”

Neighbours rushed to help, with both the pet dog Diesel and a pet turtle being rescued.

[NSW firefighter charged with lighting blazes]

Ms Rowden and her four children - aged between five and 14 - all escaped uninjured.

Fire crews managed to contain the blaze to the rear bedroom, but the family has lost all their possessions.

Investigators say the likely cause of the blaze is a child playing with a cigarette lighter or matches.