Family escapes Niles fire

NILES

A family of nine and two dogs escaped a 6:35 a.m. fire in the basement of a house at 833 Robbins Ave. without injury Thursday.

The family was out of the house by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was contained to the basement, but there was also smoke damage throughout the home, the Niles Fire Department said. Firefighters retrieved a bird and a cat from the home.

During interviews afterward, one of two children in the basement admitted to having started the fire with a lighter.