COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Authorities in Orange County say a 7-year-old boy didn't hesitate when he smelled smoke at his home, waking up his sleeping father so the pair could escape a spreading fire.

The Orange County Register says the boy was getting ready for bed Saturday night when he smelled smoke and saw that the garage of his Costa Mesa home was engulfed in flames.

Fire Captain Chris Coates says the boy ran to wake his father, who had fallen asleep watching television. The two ran out of the house as the fire spread from the garage to a motorhome in the driveway and to a neighbor's storage shed.

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It took nearly 30 firefighters about 15 minutes to douse most of the flames, the OC Register says.

Firefighters stopped the flames before they spread to the main living area of the house.

The father and little boy escaped unharmed. Firefighters credit that to the 7-year-old, the OC Register says.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.