FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Eight people are safe after a house fire early Wednesday morning.

The blaze began just after 1 a.m. on Fort Wayne’s southwest side. Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the house and a small fire in the basement.

Fire crews say the blaze could have been larger if not for a broken water line which helped keep the fire under control. The family inside also used a fire extinguisher on the prior to the department’s arrival.

The fire is under investigation, but officials believe a space heater was left too close to combustibles.