YOUNGSTOWN — Three adults and two children younger than 1 escaped from a 3:48 a.m. fire today that appeared to have started on the front porch of a home at 164 E. Avondale Ave. on the South Side.

A neighbor across the street hollered into the Cape Cod-style house after seeing the fire, alerting everyone inside, said Youngstown Fire Department Capt. Dave Cook. The neighbor also called 911.

All five people were outside the house when fire trucks arrived. All three adults were nude, and firefighters sheltered them in a fire truck on the cold and rainy morning until they were able to obtain clothes, Cook said. The American Red Cross later provided other assistance. The adults were apparently sleeping when the fire started.

Cook said it’s too early to say whether the cause of the fire is suspicious. The fire remains under investigation this morning.

From the porch, the fire appears to have gone into the house through voids in the ceiling and into the second floor. The house has heavy spoke damage, but there is some fire damage to the exterior and some fire damage to the interior.