Firefighters battle a blaze at a house at 16th and Oak Streets early Monday morning. The electrical fire did $25,000 in damage to the house and $10,000 in damage to its contents.

Screams from an expectant mother roused an extended family from sleep early Monday morning so that everyone could escape a burning house on the southwest corner of 16th and Oak streets.

The home’s alarm didn’t go off, but a son’s girlfriend was up, smelled the smoke and hollered for everyone to wake up, said Kerry Keith, as he stood outside the home he’s been renting since April.

“We grabbed the kids and got everybody out,” Mr. Keith said.

Mr. Keith, three other adults and six kids, including a 5-year-old boy, escaped without injuries.

Several fire companies were returning from a leaking natural gas call when dispatch sounded the alarm at 1:31 a.m. Monday, said Paris Jenkins, the battalion chief.

Flames shot skyward from the rear of the house as the first units arrived on the scene.

“We used everybody on duty to successfully knock it down,” Mr. Jenkins said.

By about 2 a.m. Monday, firefighters had the blaze under control but were still dealing with hot spots in the wall.

St. Joseph Fire Department investigator Rob Blizzard said the fire was electrical in nature and that the occupants were experiencing problems with a circuit breaker earlier in the evening. He estimated that the fire did $25,000 in damage to the house and $10,000 to its contents.

One firefighter sustained minor injuries but didn’t have to be transported to a hospital, Mr. Jenkins said.

Volunteer workers from the Midland Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to the scene to provide lodging and other emergency services family members might need.

Marshall White can be reached at marshall@npgco.com.