A home is destroyed and several family pets are dead and missing after a blaze near Roebuck.
Augusta Fire officials say they were called to a structure fire on County Road 21 around 12:49 p.m. Wednesday.
All occupants safely evacuated the residence, and there were no civilian injuries.
Edwardsburgh Cardinal Fire Department also responded.
Officials say firefighters reported heavy flames involving a significant portion of the attic and the second floor when they arrived.
Help was requested from the Prescott Fire Department and the Elizabethtown-Kitley Fire Department because of the heat and high humidity with a total of 37 firefighters and 17 emergency vehicles responding.
Augusta Fire Chief Rob Bowman tells the Vista Radio Newsroom that the heat can pose a serious threat to firefighters.
“Firefighters are basically fighting these fires with very large parkas and snowsuits on and they also have sometimes upwards fifty to seventy-five pounds of gear so they can get really heated up and over heated very quickly.”
One firefighter was assessed, treated, and released at the scene by Leeds Grenville Paramedic Service after experiencing a heat-related illness.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
