Seven SCSU students got an early and frightening wakeup call Friday morning. Four area fire departments responded to a large house fire at 417 8th Avenue South, in the St. Cloud State campus neighborhood. St. Cloud Fire Chief Bill Mund says the fire started at about a quarter to seven. Four residents and three guests were inside the home when the fire broke out. Some of the students had to jump out of a second story window in order to get out safely. All seven students are safe, though some have minor injuries.

The fire chief says the fire has been smothered, but the house is severely damaged. The cause of this fire is unknown at this time, though Mund says it likely started in the front part of the home.