The home was fully engulfed in flames at approximately 11 p.m. Thursday night.
A large house fire that started late Thursday night has left a three-story home a total loss and investigators are looking for a possible cause.
The call regarding the fire was received at 10:33 p.m., according to Williamsburg Fire Chief Larry Todd, with crews on scene within just minutes. The home, which sits at the end of a private drive off of US 25W near Emergency Christian Ministries, was already fully engulfed in flames as fire crews arrived.
“It burned enough that by the time we got water on it, it fell in on itself,” said Todd.
Based on the location of the home’s driveway and the difficulty of getting fire trucks up to the home, Todd said that a portion of US 25W was closed down near the fire around 11 p.m. to allow fire crews to better access the home. Kentucky State Police were on the scene to assist with the closure.
The fire was so large that it could reportedly be seen from all over Williamsburg.
There were multiple fire departments on scene, with approximately 19 firefighters battling the blaze, according to Todd. Approximately 50,000 gallons of water were used in an attempt to subdue the flames, though Todd said the home was a “total loss.”
The house, a guest home nearby and several vehicles were all destroyed.
Previous reports regarding the fire claimed that it began due to a propane tank explosion. While Todd said he couldn’t provide too much information as there is an active, ongoing investigation, he did say that he did not think that was what started the fire. According to Todd, there were several large propane tanks on the property that did explode during the fire, but he said he thought they were merely an accelerant and not what caused the fire.
Todd also noted that the damage was so extensive that it could not be determined where the fire had started.
“It’s going to be really hard to figure out,” said Todd.
There was no one in the home at the time of the fire, according to Todd, and no injuries were reported. One firefighter did suffer from a case of heat exhaustion during the blaze, though Todd said they were treated at the scene by Whitley County EMS.
US 25W was reopened just before 2 a.m. and fire crews left the scene of the fire at approximately 2:09 a.m.
Woodbine Fire Department, Emlyn Fire Department, Rockhold Fire Department and Patterson Creek Fire Department assisted in fighting the blaze. Williamsburg Police Department and Whitley County Emergency Management also assisted at the scene.
