WASHINGTON TWP — A father and his four children are staying in the Route 8 Days Inn today after escaping from a fire Sunday morning that destroyed their home on Branchton Road.

Steven Bowser, 26, said his 3-year-old son, also named Steven, awakened him after the fire ignited.

“He was waking me up, saying ‘Daddy, Daddy, there’s a fire,’” Bowser said.

Bowser gathered his children and fled the house at 1986 Branchton Road.

While both Stevens; stepson Brandon Goodman, 13; Tarra, 11; and Maleena, 9, escaped the blaze without injury, the family lost their bulldog.

Bowser’s wife, Heidi, was out of town visiting her mother for the holiday.

Bowser isn’t sure exactly where the fire started and what the cause might have been.

A neighbor called 911 at 1:51 a.m.

The North Washington Volunteer Fire Company was assisted by the Marion Township, Eau Clair and Emlenton volunteer fire departments.

The Butler Red Cross is housing the family. Anyone wanting to make a financial donation for the family can call the Red Cross at 724-283-2810.