Eau Claire firefighters pack hose on their engine they prep to leave. Companies from three counties were called to a two-alarm house fire in Eau Claire on Wednesday, 9/9/15

EAU CLAIRE — A mother and her two young children discovered their house was on fire Wednesday night when they returned home.

Rachel Burd said she returned to the South Washington Street home about 7:45 p.m. with her children, ages 5 and 3.

“I put the key in the door and it was warm,” she said of the doorknob. “When I opened it, I saw an orange glow in the kitchen.”

Seven volunteer fire departments responded to the fire.

Dale Sellers, chief of the Eau Claire Volunteer Fire Department, said the fire appeared to have started behind the refrigerator in the kitchen.

“It was definitely electrical,” he said.

The fire burnt a hole through the kitchen floor and damaged the walls of the room, but Sellers said most of the damage was contained to the kitchen.

“It probably took 20 minutes to knock it down,” he said. “It took longer to go through and inspect the rest of the home due to the darkness.”

He noted there was smoke damage in the rest of the two-story house.

Burd’s husband, Scott Burd, was not home when the fire started, although two dogs were inside.

Rachel Burd said the two dogs were taken to a veterinarian by a relative.

She said her heart dropped when she realized the home was on fire.

“It was all very much a blur,” she said. “The kids were behind me, and I immediately told them to get out. And they listened.”