COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Eight firefighters were injured and a family displaced after a serious blaze at a single-family home in College Park.

Emergency responders were called to the 7000 block of Partridge Place just after 11:00 p.m. Sunday.

A family of five, including two adults and their three children, all under the age of 10, managed to escape unharmed after a smoke alarm sounded.

"The son woke him up And he gathered everybody ... and got them out," said Deborah Wilson, who talked with the homeowners Monday morning. "Everything they own is gone. All they have is the clothes on their backs."

"I talked to them and they're just happy they got the kids and the dog out and everybody's safe," said Jack Long, who lives nearby

"I couldn't believe it," added Ron Browning, another neighbor. "I was picking up my newspaper and I looked across the street at the furlong house and its just gone up in flames."

The eight firefighters were taken to the hospital for treatment of burns, sprains, lacerations and exhaustion. All are expected to be OK.

"The flames were pretty bad," Long said. "One side was on fire -- they got that out -- and then the next side was on fire and it seemed like the garage caught on fire."

Fire officials say it took about an hour to get the fire under control. Firefighters encountered some problems with the water supply from a nearby hydrant, leaving them dry for about five minutes.

"They were met with the challenge of low water pressure at this point," said Fire and EMS spokesman Mark Brady. "We don't know if it's a hydrant issue, human error, mechanical error, but it's something we will be looking into."

The fire is thought to be accidental. The total damage is estimated to be around $700,000.

“It's heartbreaking,” said Deborah Rouch. “Someone's Christmas is ruined and a very lovely house is gone.”

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