A Madison Township family had a rude awakening at six o'clock Friday morning.

Fire broke out on the front porch of 732 Erhart Drive, which is off of Hickory Lane. 

Fire Chief Chris Niswander says the flames spread across the exterior wall and filled the interior with smoke.  

The house next door sustained melted siding from the intense heat.

The cause is still being investigated, but is considered suspicious.

Samuel Lindsey and Talisa Schendel, and their thirteen and four-year-old daughters, were awakened by smoke detectors and the commotion on the porch, and escaped unhurt.

The Red Cross is providing the family with shelter because their home is too badly damaged to live in.