A fire destroyed one home, scorched two others and the city building in Pennsboro overnight. The good news is that everyone escaped and two children are to thank for two families escaping their homes safely.

Around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning the fire sirens in Pennsboro were blaring so loud the noise woke up one 12-year old boy, Donny Bonnell, who opened his eyes and looked out his window.

"And the fire from the house next door was coming in his window and he came and got us and said britney's house is on fire," said his mother, Donna Bonnell.

So shel rounded up her family and headed outside to check on their neighbor Britney and her four children.

Luckily just moments before a child in that home woke up, saw the fire in the downstairs living room and helped everyone escape before it spread.

"And they were just standing in the middle of the street, no clothes, no shoes, or anything cause they just ran out the door. And so everyone come here to be safe and then it got to where this house wasn't safe and back out the door we went," Donna Bonnell said.

The house where the blaze started is on the intersection of Main Street and Wells Avenue. It rapidly progressed to damage two neighbor's homes and the city building.

"From heat damage it knocked out aproximately 15-20 windows from the Pennsboro city building," Pennsboro Volunteer Fire Chief Robert Riggs said.

However for the home where it all started it's a total loss.

Fire Chief Robert Riggs said the family lost everything and didn't have insurance on the home but is receiving help from the American Red Cross.

Other helpers overnight were the more than thirty volunteer firefighters from the Pennsboro, Ellenboro, and Harrisville fire departments.

"You know they just kept working to save our house and you don't know how much I appreciate that," Bonnell said.

In addition the children's screams from the original house that caught on fire woke up the third neighbor, an elderly woman, who's caretaker was able to help her get out of her home immediately.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.