It's sheer luck - and the will of a good neighbor - that a family of seven survived their house fire early Friday morning in Fremont.
If it weren't for a neighbor who just happened to step outside, they might've never woken up.
Lance Weatherill told NBC Bay Area he was about to leave for work around 7 a.m. when he noticed flames on the left side of the house across the street on Continental Drive. He started banging on the front door and yelling "Fire!"
The father and five children stumbled outside, still in their pajamas. The mother was already at work. Two of the family pets survived, but one dog died in the fire.
Weatherill was stunned how fast the fire overtook the entire house; within minutes of the family's escape. He wonders whether they would've survived if he hadn't seen what was going on.
The fire department is still trying to determine the cause. It does appear there was an electrical box on the left side of the house where the fire started.
