A Franklin Township couple was awakened early today by the frantic screams of a friend and the shrill sound of their smoke alarm.

Joe Moyer and his girl friend, Tiffany Ketchledge, were asleep upstairs when Brian McGee, who was sleeping on the sofa downstairs at 259 Main Road, awoke to see flames in the kitchen area of the double brick home.Moyer dashed downstairs and attempted to use a kitchen fire extinguisher, but soon found that was no match for the fire. Moyer said that he had no idea how the fire could have started, but noticed flames in the area at the sink."We were sleeping when we heard Brian yelling and then we heard the smoke alarm," said Moyer. "All I know is that I couldn't put out the fire, but firefighters knocked it down right away when they arrived."Firefighters from Franklin Township Fire Department responded to the scene, and were quickly assisted by Lehighton, Parryville and Mahoning Valley.Living on the other side of the double home, at 255 Main Road, were Dave Martinez, who was already at work when the fire broke out, and his two daughters. June Jones, his daughters' baby sitter, was resting on the sofa when she heard a knock on the door and people yelling for her to get out. Because of the frigid temperatures, the girls were taken to a neighbor's home during the period firefighters were at the scene.Before Jones left the house, she rescued a chinchilla, the girls' pet.Franklin Township Fire Chief Bruce Wolfe said that the Martinez family will likely be able to return to their home, but Moyer and Ketchledge will have to do some major clean up before being able to return home. The chief added that he had no idea what could have started the fire and planned to talk to the home occupants.