Fire destroys home in Town of Ottawa

TOWN OF OTTAWA (WITI) -- Crews were called to the scene of a two-alarm house fire in the Town of Ottawa Saturday morning, January 25th.

According to officials, the fire broke out at a home near Becker Ct. and Gramling Ln. around 5 a.m.

"It was a detached garage. That's where it started," said Dousman Fire District Chief Steve Totzke. "With the way the wings were blowing so hard, it ended up catching the house on fire as well."

Authorities say the home is a total loss. The fire was so intense it melted siding on the house next door.

Totzke says the family's black lab was in a kennel in the garage. The barking dog gave the family enough time to grab some mementos before fleeing to safety.

"The homeowners' son heard the dog going crazy outside, dad went out to look -- that's when he saw the glow and the smoke from the garage," Tozke said.

Officials say the cold weather played a factor in fighting the blaze.

"If that truck sits out there, even for just a couple minutes, things freeze up. It's hard to get them going again," Totzke said. "Out in that rural part of the area there aren't hydrants, so we have to truck the water in. There was a hydrant a mile away we were using to bring water to the scene."

The entire staff from the Dousman Fire District, as well as six other departments, were called in to help battle the blaze.

"You never know what could happened, but had the dog not alerted them, it might have gotten further into the house and the outcome could have been different," said Totzke.

No injuries have been reported and the fire is still under investigation. At this time, the cause is unknown.