CHAMPION — A Sunday night fire in west Marquette County has left two people homeless.

The fire was reported just before 11 p.m. at 3387 County Road AAJ – also known as Main Street in Champion. The Champion Volunteer Fire Department arrived to find smoke pouring from the windows and eves. Firefighters immediately called for mutual aid from the Humboldt Township Fire Department.

The homeowner, Helen Hylliard, and her boyfriend Mark Feldman, were awake when they discovered the fire and managed to escape along with their two dogs. Feldman told ABC 10 the fire started in the downstairs bathroom.

Hylliard’s son had to be stopped from re–entering the home before he realized his mother was safe. The son said he could see flames shooting up the stairs to the second floor.

Firefighters had to dismantle parts of the house including the siding, insulation, and chimney. They also broke out windows, used chain saws to cut holes in the roof, and used ladders to battle the fire in the second story of the wood frame home. There were no injuries and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.