Wright City Fire Chief Brian Nickerson said the children told firefighters they smelled smoke and quickly shut the door to the room where they were located and exited. The fire occurred at a rental home in the 200 block of Southwest Avenue. Nickerson said the cause of the fire is believed to be electrical. The house is expected to be a total loss and the residents who lived there - two adults and six children - lost nearly everything in the upstairs area of the house. The bottom floor suffered heavy smoke and water damage, according to Nickerson. He commended the children for their fire safety knowledge. The children told firefighters they did what they had been taught in fire prevention classes. No injuries were reported. "They followed what they were taught," Nickerson said. "They saw the smoke and closed the door." Nickerson reported firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions and were forced to evacuate the building upon their arrival. A larger water line was then used and allowed firefighters to knock down a significant portion of the flames. Firefighters were on the scene for six hours once the incident was reported. Firefighters responded back to the scene Tuesday afternoon to check for hot spots when neighbors reported seeing smoke coming from the house. Chris Paige has owned the property for about two years and said he arrived on the scene about 45 minutes after the fire started. He believes the occupants are staying with nearby family members. Other fire departments who responded to the scene Saturday included Warrenton, Wentzville, Lincoln County and the Missouri State Fire Marshal's office.