ORISKANY, N.Y. -- It was around 4 p.m. on Monday when three people inside the home at 8071 Cider Street in Oriskany discovered that it was on fire.

"Someone pulled in our driveway, and someone drove down the street screaming that our garage was on fire," said Katie Bowers. "So I ran to our bathroom ... and I looked out the window and it was on fire. So I ran and got my sister because she was asleep, and we ran downstairs and outside."

Officials believe the fire began in the garage.

"The garage is so close to the house. It's only a couple feet away, so it just spread to the house before we could get any water on it," said Oriskany Fire Chief Jeff Burkhart.

Everyone was able to get out OK. Several fire departments responded.

"We had a good water supply. We had a lot of people," said Burkhart. "We're at the prime time of the day for people coming home from work, getting ready for dinner and stuff like that. So really, it was just a good working effort between us and all the other departments that came to help out."

Others came to the scene to help the family.

"My friends are here right now," Bowers said, "and they ran from the school to come talk to me."

The chief said the garage was a total loss, but the house may not be.

"That's gonna be ultimately up for the insurance company to decide whether it's worth repairing or not, but the main portion of the house is stable," said Burkhart. "There's no chance of collapsing or anything like that."

Firefighters spent time trying to get what items they could out of the home for the family. The fire's cause is being investigated.