A Dec. 4 fire at a Lowell residence has been ruled accidental; however, the family members had no insurance and lost nearly all of their belongings, fire officials said.

Fire victim Linda DeLancey, 49, of 188 Cats Creek Road, said she's trying to keep positive about the situation.

"I keep telling myself we're lucky to be alive," she said. "A neighbor got up to go to work. ... It was getting close to 5:30 a.m. and she saw the fire. She beat on the door until we got up and got us out."

DeLancey was living at the home with her son, Joshua Campbell, 26, and his son, Preston, 3.

Joshua Campbell is recovering from a broken neck he sustained in a November automobile wreck near Lower Salem.

"It's been a really rough couple of months," DeLancey said.

The family is currently staying at a local motel thanks to help from Washington-Morgan Community Action and the Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

DeLancey said there was a smoke detector in the home, but it was on the second floor. She said everyone was sleeping on the first floor and didn't awaken until her neighbor came over.

"When we woke there was no electric. Nothing could be turned on and it was very smoky," she said. "From the outside you could see flames from the roof. I went back inside - just to get whatever I could - and my son yelled for me to get out. He said the ceiling was about to cave in."

Lowell fire Chief Bob Kubota said Beverly and Devola fire departments assisted in fighting the fire.

"It was a two-story, wood-framed home," he said. "It's pretty much totaled. The roof is gone and there's a lot of interior damage."

Kubota said the fire appears to have started in the attic of the home.

"The best we could determine is that it looks like it was started by an electrical failure," he said. "There was nothing suspicious."

Anyone interested in assisting the family can contact the Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Because the family has not found another residence, furniture and other large items are not suggested at this time.