Venice, IL (KSDK) - A 5-year-old boy got credit for alerting his grandparents to a fire next door.

"We would have been in there and we would have probably been in trouble too, but by him in here playing by himself, he let us know," said Eretha Johnson.

The fire started on Granville Street in Venice, Illinois around 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

The boy's grandparents say he was the only one outside in the neighborhood when he saw the smoke and alerted them.

They then called the fire department.

Fortunately, nobody was home at the neighbor's house.

There's no word yet on the cause of the fire.

KSDK