A family of four escaped from their burning house in the 26700 block of 159 Avenue Southeast early Friday morning.

According to the Kent Fire Department, the house’s smoke alarms activated, waking the two adults and two children at 1:50 a.m. The family safely fled the house and called 911. Firefighters from the Kent Fire Department RFA and the Maple Valley Fire Department found an attic fire above the bedrooms and worked to keep the flames from spreading to other parts of the house.

The fire damage was limited to the attic space, though there was smoke damage throughout the second floor. The Kent Fire Department believe the cause of the fire was a malfunctioning bathroom fan or a failure of one of its components.

The owner of the house told fire officials that he had just changed the batteries of the smoke alarms in the home.

Tips from the Kent Fire Department to make sure your smoke alarm works properly:

1. Change the batteries at least annually.

2. Vacuum the alarms once a year.

3. Replace the entire alarm every ten years.