Fire destroys town of Rutland home

TOWN OF RUTLAND, New York (WWNY) - Fire destroyed a Jefferson County home Tuesday night as multiple fire departments fought to put out the blaze.

The two-story home was engulfed in flames on State Route 12 near the Rutland and Champion town line.

The call came in shortly after 9 p.m.

Route 12 was shut down in both directions as more than a dozen fire engines and tankers took over the road.

Assistant Rutland Fire Chief John Williams says they believe two people live in the home and a couple of relatives were visiting at the time of the fire.

He says they all made it out safely.

He says crews had to take a defensive approach to the fire because the flames were too intense to send anyone inside.

“First engine in, we got a pretty good attack, knocked down the fire, and then the fire just continued to spread, and as more manpower and more equipment showed up, we continued the fight,” Williams said. “As the fire expanded, we expanded our fire operations.”

Route 12 was closed until 4 a.m. Wednesday and crews were released from the scene around the same time.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

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