Fire destroys Ephrata family's home

EPHRATA — Fire chewed through a family's residence at 206 H St. N.E. Monday, flaming through the roof, the north side of the home and engulfing a nearby camper.

The four residents — two kids, a mother and stepfather — were not inside when the blaze started shortly before 3 p.m., Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns said Monday. No injuries were reported.

Three dogs were at home, one died, he said.

The cause of the fire is unknown. Burns said they plan to speak with the stepfather, who owns the home, as they resume the investigation today.

The two teenage kids were on the scene Monday as fire crews worked to save their house from being completely destroyed. The mother, Burns said, was visiting the Tri-Cities.

"We have a couple possibilities of areas of origin (of the fire), but we don't know just yet," Burns said. They secured the home overnight after taking some preliminary photos.

"We don't know if it started outside in the camper, or inside in the garage," Burns added.

A total of 20 firefighters battled the blaze, with units from Grant County Fire Districts No. 3 and 13 providing assistance to the Ephrata Fire Department.

Emergency crews set up barricades to cut off traffic headed toward the fire. Firefighters parked their trucks at the corner of H Street Northeast and Second Avenue Northeast to battle the blaze.

"From our standpoint, firefighters did an excellent job getting in there, pulling the ceiling down and getting the fire out in the attic before it made it all the way to the back bedrooms," Burns said.

The home was almost completely destroyed from the fire, smoke and water, Burns said.