NORTHFIELD — A fundraiser has been started to support a Northfield family of four who escaped a house fire after being woken by their smoke detectors in the early hours of Monday, June 28.

The house, located on Millers Falls Road, was heavily damaged in the fire and, according to Tim Otto, who lived in the home with his wife, Rachel, and their two children, the structure won’t be livable for several months.

A GoFundMe set up by extended family members has already collected nearly $3,000 within days of its launch, and can be found at gofundme.com/f/help-otto-family.

“We were lucky everybody was able to get out,” Otto said, speaking by phone Friday morning. “Our smoke alarms alerted us pretty early.”

He said the alarms woke the family at around 2:45 a.m., and they were able to get a call to 911 by 3 a.m.

Northfield Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III said his department had an engine responding at 3:06 a.m. and were on scene by 3:11 a.m. Firefighters had the flames under control within a half hour, containing the fire to a portion of the basement and first floor.

“It came in as a cellar fire, and the smoke detector saved four people, as far as I’m concerned,” Dunnell said. “It woke the parents, they roused the kids and got out of the house quickly.”

According to Dunnell, the fire in the basement was underneath a first-floor bathroom. The drainage system for the bathroom consisted of plastic piping, and when the fire burned through this, it traveled into the first-floor bathroom, which was opposite the home’s exit point.

“If it wasn’t for the smoke detector, it would’ve been a whole different outcome,” Dunnell said.

According to Dunnell, initial review led firefighters to believe the fire was caused by an overheated water heater. This was confirmed following an investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Dunnell said the Northfield Fire Department had initiated a first alarm, which brought firefighters from Bernardston, Erving and Hinsdale, N.H., to the scene. The Turners Falls Fire Department covered the Northfield Fire Station. The scene was cleared at approximately 7 a.m.

The house was heavily damaged from smoke, heat and water, and the family expects it won’t be livable for several months. According to Otto, damage to the house exceeds what an original insurance agent estimated, and they expect the house may need to be gutted and rebuilt. Unfortunately, the family was not able to recover much beyond the items they took the morning of the fire.

“We had just gotten back in the house yesterday to go through things, and see what we were able to salvage,” Otto said on Friday.

Most of their personal belongings were lost and are not covered under the homeowners insurance policy because they are renters. The Ottos rent the home from Tim’s father, John Otto.

“So that’s our major concern right now, maybe six months from now when they’re done with construction — what’re we going to do to get our kids beds?” Otto said.

The Ottos have two children, a 9-year-old daughter Abbey and 11-year-old son Tanner, who both attend Northfield Elementary School. While they wait to hear more from their insurance company, the family of four says they will be staying with Tim Otto’s mother, Michele Browning, and her husband.

Otto and his wife are thankful for the “heartwarming” support they’ve received from the community since the fire, saying they have even seen donations and messages coming in from people they haven’t seen in years, including old high school friends.

“We’ve been trying to go through and thank everyone individually, but there’s been such a big response, so it’s hard to keep up,” Otto said.

He said they want to give a large, “general thank you” to the Northfield Fire Department, and to the members of the community who have already reached out.

Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.

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