EPHRATA — An Ephrata family lost their home and most of their belongings in a fire Monday night.

About 9:30 p.m. firefighters with Grant County Fire District No. 13 responded to a report of a house fire in the 6300 block of Road B Northwest. Firefighters responded to the scene and found a residence and vehicle engulfed in flames.

GCFD No. 13 officials say the mother of the household was sleeping when the sound of breaking glass and other noises woke her up. The father of the household reportedly opened their bedroom door to the hallway and encountered “extreme” heat, smoke and flames. The man was able to close the door, but not before suffering burns and inhaling smoke. The mother screamed at her children in another room to get out and she was able to get her bedroom window open and get her young son and husband out the window.

“The father was having breathing difficulties and was close to losing consciousness. The two older boys were able to get out of their bedroom window and met their family outside,” stated GCFD No. 13 in a release. “The older boy had seen smoke coming in from under his bedroom door. The boy had learned from fire prevention presentations at school not to open the door but to get out the window and meet somewhere outside. This likely saved the two older boys from serious injury.”

The father was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of second-degree burns over 25 percent of his body. The mother suffered smoke inhalation and was later released from medical care. The children in the house were not injured. The residence was completely destroyed in the fire, as were the family’s belongings.

“This is a stark reminder that smoke detectors give early warning and more time to escape,” stated GCFD No. 13 in a release. It also illustrates the importance of keeping doors closed while you sleep to stop a fire’s advancement and give you time to escape.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.