A Ramara family lost its house and a pet dog in a fire Wednesday morning.
The family of four was not at home when the blaze started around 8:30 a.m., when the Ramara Fire Department was called to a fully involved structure fire at 5660 County Rd. 169, said Fire Chief Dave McCarthy.
“There were flames showing out of the window,” he said. “We had to do the fighting from outside. It wasn't safe to enter the building at that point.”
The fire was extinguished four hours later. Thirty firefighters, from Ramara and Rama, were on the scene.
Only then were crews able to enter the house.
“It was a pretty deeply seated fire,” he said. “It's an older farmhouse, so there were lots of additions, and it made a bit more challenging.”
By the time the fire was out, all had been lost, McCarthy added.
“Unfortunately, it's a total loss,” he said, adding the family is understandably distraught. “They can certainly use some help, I'm sure. They do have insurance and we're just waiting on that now.”
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
“We leave it to the insurance company,” McCarthy said, noting the damage is too severe for the department to determine the cause. “They will likely do their own investigation, but it is not suspicious.”
