BIGFORK – Crews battled a Monday evening house fire in the Bigfork area.
Bigfork Fire Chief Jeremy Patton says crews were called to a home on Montana Highway 35 at approximately 5:30 p.m. for a report of a chimney fire.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy driving by initially noticed fire coming from the chimney and the eaves of the home.
Patton says the people inside the home were unaware of the fire and the deputy helped them evacuate safely.
Several pets were also taken from inside the home.
Firefighters arrived to find flames coming from the roof and began to battle the blaze from outside and inside the home.
Mutual aid was then called in from the Ferndale and Finley Point fire departments.
Patton says a strong response of 25 firefighters on the scene helped contain the fire to one residence on the property.
“Having the ability with our mutual aid to rotate out those crews definitely helped everybody including the homeowners last night," Patton said.
Patton says while there was extensive damage to parts of the home, “some areas were relatively untouched” and the home was not a total loss.
Additionally, the blaze did not reach a cherry orchard located on the property.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
- information from Sean Wells included in this report
