Harrowing escape from house fire near Hudson, Wis.

Half an hour after Todd Davies made a routine check to ensure the garage door was shut Thursday night, he heard popping and crackling as his family was getting ready for bed at their country home east of Hudson, Wis.

Davies saw flames when he looked in the garage to investigate. "He ran out yelling, 'Fire! Fire! Fire!'" said his wife, Julie Davies, who on Friday was surveying the charred debris. He dashed to their 5-year-old's room, scooped up their son, Tate, and ran outside.

All five family members and their dog escaped safely, but the accidental fire in Hudson Township destroyed their four-year-old house. The loss, including contents, is estimated at $930,000, said Capt. Shawn Pettee of the Hudson Fire Department. The exact cause hasn't been determined, but there was no sign of arson, Pettee said.

As Todd hurried out with Tate, his wife ran upstairs to check on Tucker. But the 8-year-old wasn't in his bed. She heard her husband yelling for Tucker and then shouting "Get out!" to her. She did and found Tucker safe with his dad and little brother.

"I was so relieved. So grateful," she said, looking at the one wall still standing. "This can all be replaced. Even our dog, Thunder, made it out."

Hudson firefighters took 14 minutes to reach the house at 756 Highlander Court, Pettee said. The neighborhood has no fire hydrants. Six fire departments fought the fire for more than four hours.

The Davies' third son, Trenton, 11, was staying at a neighbor's home across the meadow Thursday night. He said he was standing in the kitchen about 10:30 p.m. when he looked out the window toward his house.

Tucker displayed a bandaged arm and foot that he said were scorched as he tried to get out. "I saw the fire from my room upstairs," he said. "I went to the garage, and the fire just came in that door. Then I ran out the back door."

Their neighbors provided clothes, food and shelter, Julie Davies said. One neighbor took off his shoes and gave them to her barefoot husband. They lost wallets, cell phones, two cars in the garage, everything but what they wore and some towels hanging by the pool. They have home insurance, but Davies said she will miss the family pictures and some of her boys' school projects.

They stayed Thursday night with the Voglers, the neighbors where Trenton was staying. Pat Vogler said the Davies are "awesome neighbors. I'd do anything for them."

When Vogler saw the fire, he grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran the distance of a football field to the burning house. By the time he got there, the fire was roaring. "The tires were exploding, the cars were exploding," he said.

Julie Davies was raised in Burnsville where her mother, Marilyn Brennan, heard news reports of the fire early Friday before Julie called to confirm it was their house. "I got in the car and brought some pop and a sun hat for Julie because her pink hat got burned up," she said, standing near her daughter, who was wearing the broad brim straw sun hat. She said Todd Davies has a corporate incentive business and the family was staying Friday night with his sister's family in Woodbury.