FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Two local police officers who braved an inferno in their midnight rescue of three people at a Fairhope house that burned to the ground this week were joined by more than two dozen Fairhope and Daphne firefighters and several neighbors, to keep that tragedy from becoming much worse.

“The fire has been ruled accidental,” State Fire Marshall Ed Paulk said Thursday. “The heroic action of those police officers saved those people’s lives. There is no doubt about that. And when you’ve got a fire that hot in a tight suburban neighborhood, it is so easy for it to spread, just from the radiant heat. For the local firefighters to be able to contain it was a fantastic job. Fairhope should be thankful to have such dedicated employees and volunteers.”

The fire was reported at approximately 11:56 a.m. on Tuesday, and 1st Assistant Fire Chief John Saraceno was at the scene within five minutes. He said the first fire engine arrived about a minute behind him.

“The structure was fully involved when I got there,” Saraceno said. “Flames were leaping 70 feet off the roof. We tried an interior attack but it was too hot, and we had to back out.”

On the way to the scene, Saraceno learned that two Fairhope police officers, Sgt. Curtis Sullivan and Officer James Nelson, had rescued the three occupants of the Magnolia Avenue residence.

Those officers and Wayne and Anne Loudermilch, and their live-in nurse, were transported to Thomas Hospital for smoke inhalation and cuts. All but Anne Loudermilch were released from the hospital on Wednesday.

She has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and arrangements had to be made to locate new medical machinery for her home care.

Saraceno said that three fire engines (Nos. 914, 921 and 931), two rescue vehicles (Nos. 915 and 933) and one ladder truck (No. 918) all responded from the Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department.

He said the following firefighters responded to the fire: Lloyd Cluster, Shane Leiser, Chris Ellis, Richard Morris, Daniel Moore, Chris McKeown, Timothy McKeown, Robbie Robertson, Frank Holbien, Jamey Peterson, David Sterndorf, Dan McCrory, Jason Gandy, Joey Leavitt, Josh Hall and Tommy Bozeman. He said the following firefighters responded from the Daphne station: Joseph Holasz, Kenny Hanak, Lamar Green, Joe Green and Troy Gorlott.

“Daphne got there at just the right time to relieve my guys,” Saraceno said. “It took us about two hours to get it under control. The house took about four hours to burn. We used a sprinkler system to set up a wall of water around the house to keep the fire from spreading.”

Saraceno said some of his firemen went by the hospital Thursday morning to visit Ms. Loudermilch and to take some flowers. She was released that afternoon.

“It was an inferno,” said neighbor Genie McCown, who was awakened at about midnight by her friend, Katie Wesley, who lives across from her on Boise Lane, which intersects Magnolia Avenue. “She was pounding on my door and screaming, ‘Get out and get your dogs.’”

The fire was stopped just yards short of her house. The charred remains of the Loudermilch’s garage are next to her yard. She is currently staying with Wesley, who was the first person to detect the fire.

“I was laying on my couch and couldn’t sleep,” Wesley said. “I looked out my window and saw this flame. The house was already blazing.”

She ran across the street, got McCown out and then helped get the Loudermilchs to safety as the police were bringing them through a small alley between the houses. Another neighbor, Bryan Lugo, also helped get the Loudermilchs and Linda Barnes to safety.

“I’m glad I still have a house to call my own,” said McCown. “When I came out of the house these 10-foot flames were leaping out of the attic. Within seconds it seemed like the flames were coming out of everywhere. Then I heard the oxygen tank (used by Anne Loudermilch) explode.”

Paulk praised not only the work of the local police and firefighters but also Deputy State Fire Marshal Gary Cartee, who was on the scene Wednesday morning conducting his investigation and who determined it was an accidental fire.

“Your firefighters did a good job,” Cartee told Mayor Tim Kant Wednesday morning, as people wandered along Magnolia Avenue in front of what remained of the Loudermilchs’ residence.

“They did an amazing job saving my house,” McCown said. “The Loudermilchs had lots of nice things in their house. But those things can all be replaced.”

McCown pointed to a red splotch on the road on Boise Lane.

”That’s Wayne’s blood right there,” she said. “He was bleeding profusely from cuts on his hands and his feet. We’re all just so lucky and thankful.”

A neighbor walked up to McCown as she was talking Wednesday morning.

“Do you have a place to stay,” the neighbor said. “We have a big house with lots of bedrooms.”

McCown’s house had suffered some water damage from the fire fighting during the long night.

“I may take you up on that,” she said.