MADISON, Wis. -- Authorities are investigating what caused a house fire this weekend that killed a 23-year-old University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student and hurt three others, but said that smoke alarms weren't working.

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The Madison Fire Department said that three smoke alarms in the house were disabled.

The blaze broke out at about 5:30 a.m. in the 100 block of North Bedford Street. Madison and UW firefighters arrived at the scene within minutes and it took them about 20 minutes to contain the fire. Firefighters evacuated nearby houses fearing that the fire would spread, WISC-TV reported.

Firefighters later recovered the body of Peter Talen, 23, of Plymouth, who is also the brother of one of the survivors.

Investigators are still interviewing the three UW-Madison students who managed to escape and the bystanders who first noticed the flames. Two of three survivors -- identified as Nathan Hoftiezer and Kelly Shattuck -- were released from UW Hospital on Monday. The third, Andrew Talen, is still hospitalized but listed in good condition. He is the brother of Peter Talen, WISC-TV reported.

Neighbor and fellow UW student Dan Miller said he saw the fire.

"Some guys got out of their vehicle in the middle of the street and where yelling, 'Your house is on fire! Get out! Get out!" Miller said. "My dog was barking and my girlfriend had woken up. And she, out the window upstairs, saw just a bunch of flames. (She said,) 'Oh, my God, Dan, the house is on fire we got to get out.'"

Fire Department officials said that that they believe there's a lesson in this tragedy.

"We want to use this as a way to create a greater awareness among students that yes it can happen to you and you personally can do things to personally prevent it from happening," said Lori Wirth, Madison Fire Department public information officer.

"Smoke alarms, No. 1, need to be tested regularly. Make sure they're working," she said. "(Smoke alarms are) not good forever. If you've had the same smoke alarm for 10 years, it's time to replace it."

Authorities said that landlords must provide renters with a smoke alarm when they move in, but it's up to the occupant to make sure it's working at all times.

The coroner hasn't released the results of Talen's autopsy.

Officials Say Warnings About Smoke Detectors Often Go Unheeded

Madison's chief building inspector, George Hank, said that despite repeated messages every year about checking smoke detectors, the message many times falls on deaf ears.

He said both occupants and landlords are to blame. He estimates that 40 percent of all the smoke detectors they check aren't working, even though he said, "The smoke detector is the greatest advance ever made in home safety."

Neighboring students to the deadly fire on North Bedford Street said the weekend fire fatality opened their eyes to their own safety.

"I haven't really paid attention," said UW student Mason Valedez. "I never really thought about it, I guess."

Valedez said before this weekend, he never took smoke detectors seriously.

UW student Megan Paulson echoes the same sentiment.

"I just checked it today and the battery hadn't been attached," said Paulson.

Paulson lives at 121 Bedford, right next door to where the fatal fire occurred. The flames came so close to the home, it melted their siding, WISC-TV reported.

Yet, it was the firefighters beating on their door, not smoke detectors, which got them out.

"We didn't even hear the fire trucks or anything," said Paulson. "We were just completely out sleeping."

Paulson took WISC-TV with her as she checked the smoke alarms around the home she rents with three friends. Of the four installed smoke alarms, only one was in working order, the one in her bedroom.

Law dictates that each floor of a home should have a working smoke detector.

Paulson's home was last inspected by the city three years ago when the landlord was ordered to repair two smoke detectors, and did.

"Generally, when we write orders for smoke detectors, they comply because it's just good common sense and safety," said Hank.

Hank said landlords should voluntarily check their detectors twice a year and occupants should leave them plugged in, no matter what.

"It's as simple as not messing with it in the first place," said Hank.

Paulson said she's learned her lesson.

"It shouldn't have been our last priority, but unfortunately it was, and it won't be anymore, that's for sure," she said.

Chris Houden, co-owner of RCJ Enterprise., is the owner of Paulson's home and the one that burned on Bedford. He said that all smoke detectors are checked to make sure they are in proper working order whenever new tenants move in.

"The smoke detectors at the Bedford Street house were in proper working order. No calls were ever made to us about defective or non-working smoke detectors," he said.

Hank said landlords are responsible for providing occupants working smoke alarms, but renters are responsibel for maintaining them, unless they tell the owners that the smoke alarms aren't working.

At that point, landlords have five days to get them working or face prosecution and a possible fine.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.