By Jo McMullen / KVSC reporter

Two people survived an early morning house fire in Meire Grove Thursday.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s department was called just before 12:30 a.m. with a report of a house on fire at 155 Highway 4 in Meire Grove.

The homeowner, 26-year-old Ethan Walz said he was awakened by smoke alarms going off inside his house and he could see smoke coming from the basement. Walz woke up his roommate, 28-year-old Alex Zierden, and they safely evacuated the home with their two dogs.

The Melrose, Sauk Centre and Freeport Fire Departments responded to the scene and put out the fire. The home suffered heavy smoke and fire damage.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.