Amber Kuhn and her three kids were taking a midmorning nap in their Grand Forks mo-bile home Tuesday when a smoke alarm started blaring.
Kuhn, 22, ran into her living room to find the couch and a wall on fire, along with knee-high flames on the floor.
"I immediately jumped over the fire to get to my kids' room," she said. "I grabbed all three of my kids at the same time and threw a blanket over them."
But that was only half the fight.
"I had to jump over the fire holding the kids to get out of the house again," she said.
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Once outside, Kuhn flagged down a woman who drove the four to a nearby home, where they called for help. The good Samaritan also gave Kuhn, who was wrapped in only a blan-ket, shoes and clothes to wear.
The fire department responded shortly after 10 a.m. to the 5200 block of Circle Drive South. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 10:25 a.m., battalion chief Rod Hadland said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Kuhn said her children -- ages 5, 3 and 1½ -- escaped unscathed, but she inhaled smoke during the rescue and was treated with oxygen at the scene.
The family's pets -- three cats and German Shorthaired Pointer named Duke -- died in the blaze.
Kuhn said her family is staying with the parents of her husband Adam, who was at work when the fire started.
Aside from some pictures and clothing the couple salvaged, the home and its contents were a complete loss. Hadland estimated the damage at $30,000 to $35,000.
The mother said the fire left her kids "pretty shaken up," but by Tuesday evening they were OK.
"They're hyper and doing fine," she said. "They're doing better than me."
