A family of four and a handful of rabbits are OK after a fire in the attic of a Parkside Drive home in Evergreen.

The fire appeared to be electrical and may have started in the attic above a bathroom in the southwest corner of the house.

“Right now we’re keying in on the bathroom fan,” Evergreen Fire Rescue Chief Craig Williams said. “We believe it was one of the bathroom fixtures.”

A burned area could be clearly seen on the southwest corner of the roof Monday afternoon. Williams said there was extensive fire and smoke damage in the attic, but no damage in the dwelling space below.  

Homeowner Tepi Warren and her four children were not home when fire started. She drove back to the house from after getting a call from her son, Wyatt, who was also at work when the fire started.

“One of my neighbors called me while I was at work,” Wyatt said. “So I called my mom and my sister.”

Both Tepi and Wyatt guessed that the fire started with the Christmas tree, but that wasn’t the case. The burned roof was the only sign of damage outside the house.

A neighbor called the fire in at approximately 3:15 Monday afternoon, reporting a large amount of smoke rolling out of the roof from the Warren home across the street. The fire was contained by 3:50 p.m.

Arnie Mueller, another neighbor, said he saw the smoke after hearing the sirens of fire trucks arriving on the scene. He said he saw a column of smoke coming from the roof of the house.

“This is just a good time to note that people need to check to make sure their smoke alarms are working,” Williams said. “It’s just that time of year.”

All smoke alarms appeared to be working inside the Evergreen home.

In addition to Evergreen, Kalispell and South Kalispell fire departments responded to the fire.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.