PENN HILLS (KDKA) – A family of five was able to escape an early Thursday morning fire in their Penn Hills home.

According to officials at the scene, the fire started in a bedroom of the home in the 10000-block of Grandview Avenue around 5 a.m.

Most of the structure was saved, but smoke caused extensive damage to the home. One bedroom was destroyed.

A woman inside the house woke up feeling heat on her back and realized her bed was on fire.

“My back burning, my bed on fire. That was my wake up call,” Danielle McWilliams said. “My whole bedroom was in flames. I couldn’t go back in.”

McWilliams was renting the house and had moved in just over a month ago. The smoke alarms inside the house did not work.

Two adults and three kids were able to get out of the house and there are no reported injuries.

Fire crews had a hard time getting water on the fire. A hydrant 50 to 60 feet from the home was not working properly.

The Red Cross is assisting the family, who do not have insurance.

McWilliams isn’t sure where to go from here.

“I don’t know yet. I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere. I have nothing,” McWilliams said.

Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority inspectors looked at the problematic hydrant and said an investigation into what happened is underway.

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