A family of five escaped a house fire in Appleton early Wednesday morning. The Appleton Fire Department says without working smoke alarms, it could have been “truly tragic.” Firefighters were called to the 200 block of N. Lawe Street at about 5:26 a.m. Crews arrived on scene to find smoke and flames in the basement. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze and keep flames contained to the basement. However, smoke spread throughout the home. Crews are still investigating the cause of the fire. The family was alerted to the fire by smoke alarms. The Appleton Fire Department says the fire “is a perfect example of why everyone needs to make sure they have working smoke alarms.”