By Trish Wallace, Staff Writer, as published in the Jefferson County Journal .

An early morning fire destroyed the home of an Imperial family Tuesday.

Stephen Orr of the Rock Community Fire Protection District said firefighters received the alarm to 2016 Derby Run Court in the Saddlebrook Farms subdivision around 4 a.m., and crews were advised that flames could already be seen through the roof.

According to Orr, the father of the four-person family awoke to a loud crash when the smoke detectors began to sound. He saw fire in the kitchen area. The father, mother and two children made it out of the house safely.

"They're very, very lucky to be alive," Orr said.

From what can be best assessed of the damage, Orr said the loud crash that awakened the father was most likely a ceiling fan crashing to the floor when the ceiling of the single-story home caved in.

"The entire center of the house is just gone," Orr said.

The fire and heat was so intense that it melted the vinyl siding on the house.

Orr said first-in crews tried to get into the house through the hallway. Although they emptied all of the water on the truck, they barely put a dent in the blaze and vacated the building. As soon as they hit the front porch area, the roof caved in behind them.

Rock Community and Antonia Fire District crews then fought the fire through the roof with an aerial ladder pipe. Neighboring homes only suffered minor water damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and appears to be accidental, Orr said. Early assessments lean toward an electrical problem in the attic of the home.

Orr said that the distraught family lost everything and that the Jefferson County Red Cross Service Center in Arnold was working to meet their immediate needs.