Firefighters extinguished a two-alarm fire Saturday night that extensively damaged the inside of a west Lawrence home.

The two people who lived at 2102 Melholland Road escaped the house safely. They called 911 at 8:44 p.m. and told dispatchers a fire had begun in the basement, said Mark Bradford, chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical.

Firefighters responded in about three to four minutes and began to use water to fight the flames that had reached the other two levels of the tri-level house.

The severity of the blaze forced firefighters to retreat from working inside the house, Bradford said. They then stood on ground ladders and sprayed water through the home’s windows.

Firefighters had the flames under control after about 20 minutes, Bradford said. At 9:30 p.m., a group of firefighters re-entered the home to check for hot spots and also to search for missing pets.

One dog made it out of the home safely with the home’s occupants, Bradford said.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical firefighters work to contain a fire at 2102 Melholland Road. The fire started just before 9 p.m. Saturday.

Smoke had seeped from the front door and windows of the house and moved into the neighborhood Saturday night.

A volunteer with the Douglas County Chapter of the American Red Cross made it to the scene. The chapter will assist the fire victims with food, clothing and lodging, Bradford said.

Firefighters had not begun to investigate the fire’s cause or estimate the total damages late Saturday.

According to Douglas County records, the property is valued at $149,000, and Carol Alvarez is listed as the owner.