A volunteer firefighter discovered a house fire and helped save a family Sunday in New Auburn.

The family's home burned to the ground, and say they didn't even realize it was on fire.

A rookie volunteer firefighter with the New Auburn department spotted the smoke, the Keller family says they were sitting in their living room, when the firefighter told them they needed to get out.

David Keller says that's when he looked up and saw "the whole top of the house was smoking."

Before David Kelly's family knew it, their yard was full of fire trucks and their home was burning before their eyes. Keller recalls, "I didn't know what to do or say."

David Keller's home is only a shell now, hollowed out by fast-moving flames and fueled by insulation.

The New Auburn Fire Chief, Ernie Sylvester, tells us the insulation spread the fire through the entire house, and when they got it contained to the second floor, it had already moved to the basement. Mother Nature didn't help either. Crews say the water was freezing on the house.

Keller says, "the water was freezing just as fast as it came out of the hoses. They tried to use foam but it wasn't working. They asked us if they could let it burn and we said yes so no one else gets hurt."

No one was hurt, but the fire took so much.

"We lost everything, furniture, the kids lost three kittens, we got a few appliances out," Keller said.

And despite having no insurance on their belongings, the Keller family is already looking to the future. They are talking about rebuilding, but plan on just getting it cleaned up and "do the best we can," said Keller.

The Kellers are staying with family. The New Auburn Fire Chief tells us they're still trying to figure out where the fire started. He says he's really proud of John Farrell, the rookie firefighter, who spotted the fire and told the family.

There is a fund set up for the family at Security State Bank in New Auburn.