A Philpot home sustained severe damage early Thursday morning after a fire broke out during a thunderstorm, though no one was inside at the time, officials said.
Assistant Fire Chief Shaun Blandford with the Daviess County Fire Department said crews were dispatched around 1:56 a.m. to the 5700 block of Ware Road. Firefighters from Daviess County, Thurston, Philpot, and Masonville responded, with Whitesville called in on a second alarm.
He added that the county’s ALIRT team — a volunteer unit specializing in large fires — also assisted.
“First arriving officers found heavy flames emitting from a two-story residential structure,” Blandford said. “Firefighters braved heavy fire conditions to start the first floor and part of the second floor before the fire ran them out.”
He said the blaze was fueled by 30 to 50 mph winds from a thunderstorm moving through the area, which caused the fire to spread quickly. Crews were on scene for nearly four hours before bringing it under control, according to Blandford.
Blandford said no one was injured.
“The family was on vacation at the time of the fire, and firefighters were able to confirm about an hour into the response that the home was empty,” he said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
