Of course, this will never happen to you. It was never supposed to happen to us. But it did.

Despite several working smoke alarms, a potentially deadly fire began at our house when we were home having dinner on June 15.

It was an invisible fire. We could neither see it or smell it. We were unaware for some time what was happening.

The fire started outside. A seemingly innocent exterior light with a motion detector on the rear door of our garage, faulted or overheated.

It ignited the siding above the door frame and from there spread up into the attic space and to the trusses holding up the roof.

Like most households, we do not have smoke alarms in the attic space. Who knew?

Mercer Island firefighters said the fire had been burning for 20 or 30 minutes before I discovered it purely by chance. I stepped into the garage for a pair of running shoes and heard a crackling sound in the ceiling.

However, at the same time our astute neighbor who lives behind us, saw the smoke billowing out from under the eaves. He knew what it was.

Meanwhile, I stepped back in the house and called to my two daughters, who were downstairs.

Speechless, they ran up barefoot with the our little dog — my older daughter with her cell phone. We ran out the door together. There was no thought of grabbing valuables or a purse. Just us in T-shirts and shorts. We then called 911.

In minutes, six fire trucks had arrived, including the big ladder truck from Bellevue. Journalistic habit dictated that I count. There were, at one point, 24  firefighters and perhaps double that amount of neighbors who had come to see what was happening, and to console us.

With few words, the firefighters took charge. After several long minutes, the fire seemed subdued. Then suddenly it came alive again sending a column of bright flame through a large gash in the roof. We could only watch, stunned and amazed.

In the end, we were lucky — lucky for the resources we have available to us —lucky it was not at night.

To do list:

•  Review your homeowners or renters insurance coverage.

Make sure your coverage is up to date. Make sure you ask about coverage for any changes in building codes that would affect rebuilding is called code coverage. If building codes have changed, your present coverage may not pay to upgrade to those requirements.

• Make sure firefighters can find you.

Tell the 911 operator your correct and complete address, including streets or avenues. Ensure house numbers are visible. Or better yet, sign up at SMART911.

• 911 calls from cell phones are routed to the Washington State Patrol.

Before you tell the dispatcher what is happening, tell them your city or town first.

•  Install smoke alarms in the attic — the space between the ceiling  and the roof — even if you don’t have access to that space.

Only one person who has heard my story said that they had a smoke detector in their attic space. I believe they are essential. They would have warned us in time to stop the fire.

• Keep a clear path to exterior doors and exits.

The is common sense of course, but maybe you just don’t use that door to the side yard — it sticks or doesn’t lock right. You stack recycling there? Clear it away. It is not just for you — but to ensure a safe clear path for firefighters.

• Know where flammable or potentially hazardous items are kept.

When the fire fighters arrived they had several questions for me. Were there firearms or ammunition inside the house or in the garage, such as gas for the mower?

• Know the location of your electrical panel and how to shut your power down.

Easy you think — but sometimes hard to remember during  a crisis.

• Keep a pair of shoes stashed outside for emergencies — tuck a couple of $20s in the toe of one.