WOODBRIDGE — A volunteer firefighter and his family are safe thanks to the quick action of his 6-year-old daughter amid a fire in their own home.

Avenel Fire Department said on its Facebook page that former Fire Chief Jimmy Karlbon was woken up very early Sunday morning by his daughter, Madalyn, who had reacted to a smoke detector going off.

They, along with 2-year-old Hunter and the mother of both children, all made it out of the home in the Avenel section of the township as first responders arrived after 2 a.m., the department said.

No word yet on what may have caused the fire.

Many of the family's belongings were lost in the fire, so the department has launched a fundraising drive to help.

Karlbon, his kids and their mother are living temporarily in a hotel while the house is uninhabitable, according to the same department post on Facebook.

Donations are being accepted through "The Avenel Fire Company Community Fund" at the firehouse at 346 Avenel St.

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