PENDLETON — An early morning fire forced a Pendleton family to escape through a window as flames engulfed the inside of their home.

Pendleton Fire Chief Tony Pierotti said firefighters responded to a residential fire at 4:54 a.m. Monday, May 5, at 2814 NE Riverside Ave. in Pendleton.

He said a smoke alarm alerted the family early, allowing them to escape and call 911. That early alert, he noted, helped firefighters respond faster and contain the fire mostly to the area where it started, though the home still suffered significant smoke and heat damage.

Tyler Renner, his pregnant wife, Ashley Pappas, and their 4-year-old daughter, Andee Rose, were sleeping in the same room when the smoke alarm sounded.

“ All three of us luckily were in our bed, looked out and just saw flames coming in,” Renner said “So we got out of the house probably 15 seconds after waking up. We were out of here fast.”

Renner said he sprang into action when he heard the alarm, opened his bedroom window and helped his family and dogs jump into the backyard. Once outside, he gathered their goats and moved them to a safe area away from the house.

As he watched the house burn, he said it sounded like it was expanding, with glass popping and boards creaking.

Neighbor Carlos Carranza and his wife took their daughter, Rose, inside as Renner and Pappas spoke with the fire department. Renner said Pendleton Fire and Ambulance crews arrived within five minutes of the emergency call.

Pappas went to the hospital to check on the status of her pregnancy after the fire. Renner said the baby’s heartbeat was 159, and Pappas was cleared to leave the hospital.

The hospital also called to give them the paperwork on the baby’s gender, but they haven’t found out yet due to dealing with the aftermath of the fire, he added.

Later that afternoon, Renner walked inside the house with his flashlight, the smell of smoke hanging in the air.

The home was charred and blackened. Part of the living room was destroyed. Flames had gutted the kitchen, and the baby’s high chair, which stood in the middle of the kitchen, melted away, leaving only the frame. The remaining kitchen appliances on the shelves and counters were scorched.

The bedrooms remained intact, though the heat and fire bubbled the walls, turning them from white to charcoal gray.

“ I’m devastated,” Renner said. “Watching everything you worked so hard for years, just burned in front of your face.We just actually just made our second mortgage payment on the house. We just bought it. We’ve rented it for a few years, and we just bought it from the landlords and made two mortgage payments on it last week. It’s devastating. I’m heartbroken.”

Renner expressed gratitude to the first responders who helped extinguish the flames and advised him on the next steps, as well as to the friends and family members who reached out to offer support.

Pierotti said the investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire. No one was injured, and no other houses were scorched.

In the meantime, Renner and his family are staying with relatives, the dogs are at a friend’s ranch and the goats are with his in-laws.