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At 4:49 AM this morning the Duluth Fire Department responded to a report of a house fire from 611 N 7th Ave E.  Dispatch also reported that there were three people trapped in the upper floors of the home along with their dogs.  Duluth Police squads arrived on the scene first and reported a working structure fire.

Upon arrival firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the second story windows of a two story home.  One occupant was on the roof of a porch and two others were hanging out of a second story window to stay out of the heavy smoke.  Firefighters laddered the building to rescue the occupants from the fire.

The fire on the first floor of the home was knocked down quickly and a search for the two bulldogs was started.  They were located and brought out of the structure unharmed.  A litter of eleven puppies was also located but they were protected in place with the aid of a closed door.  The only injury was to the male owner of the home when he recievfed a minor cut on his hand while braking out the bedroom window.

The occupants stated that they were woke up by the barking of the dogs.  They then heard a popping and cracking from under the bedroom floors and the sound of a smoke detector sounding in the hallway outside the bedrooms.  When they opened the door to the hall, they found heavy smoke and heat and were unable to proceed.  They then went to the windows for escape.  One occupant was able to swing over onto the porch roof outside the window, but the male and female in the other bedroom were too far away to get on the roof deck.  They had to hang out the window for fresh cool air and wait for the fire department to arrive and provide a ladder for escape.

The damage to the first floor of the home was severe with heavy flame, heat and smoke damage to most of the rooms and contents.  The second floor had some heat damage and moderate smoke damage throughout.  The damage estimate is set at $60,000 building and $30,000 contents.  The homeowners will be unable to return to the house until extensive repairs are completed.

The cause of the fire has been determined as accidental.  The homeowner had a candle burning in a sconse in the living room and left it burning when they went to bed.  The fire from the candle spread to the furnishings below the sconse and created the house fire.  Citizens are warned to never leave a candle burning in and unoccupied area of the home.  Many fires are attributed to the spread of fires from candle use.