The fire that destroyed a home in Albert Lea early Wednesday morning was ruled accidental.

Albert Lea Fire Department Lt. Al Schallock said the fire started on the back deck, moved up the side of the house and then inside the home, located at 322 Vine Ave. Investigators said several factors could have contributed.

Schallock said the home’s occupants, Kris Schewe and his fiancé Beth Sackson, had accidentally placed a laundry basket on the kitchen stove that evening, and when the basket started burning, they dumped it on the deck.

Schallock said the house was also being refinished, so some stains and rags on the deck could have spontaneously combusted. Some cigarette butts could have also played a part, Schallock said.

The house is assumed to be a total loss, though exact damage estimates were not available.

Schewe and Sackson were sleeping as the fire grew and were saved by their neighbors, Kevin and Tina Clapper and their children.

The Clapper family noticed the blaze, called 911, and woke the couple up by yelling and throwing rocks at their windows. The family then got a ladder and helped the couple escape from their second-floor bedroom window.

The couple said they had one smoke detector but didn’t remember it going off. Schallock said the couple was overcome by carbon monoxide, were transported to Albert Lea Medical Center for smoke inhalation and released the next day.