Seven members of an Amish family are homeless after fire swept through their house early Wednesday afternoon.

Volunteers from a number of departments in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties were called to battle the blaze at 212 County Route 1 in the town of Hammond.

Officials say the home is owned by John Swartzentruber and that he, his wife and five children were not injured in the fire.

Authorities believe the fire may have started when a member of the household was melting lard on a wood stove.

The family was able to salvage some furniture from the burning home.

Officials said the house had no smoke detectors.

Code enforcement officials have cited Amish families in the towns of Hammond and Morristown for failing to comply with rules about smoke detectors and building codes.

The Amish families have said the codes violate their religious beliefs.

It's unclear if the John Swartzentruber family had received any citations.