Staff writer
A fire destroyed the home of Vance and Chelsea Hill early Tuesday morning in Lehigh.
An investigator from the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office suspected the fire began in the service porch or kitchen at the 201 Prospect Avenue house.
The cause has not been determined, but the fire was not deemed suspicious.
The entire family made it out of the home safely, Hillsboro Fire Chief Ben Steketee said.
Lehigh Fire Department was called to the scene about 1:30 a.m. Hillsboro Fire Department was called to aid minutes later.
When firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed in flames, Steketee said. The interior of the home was destroyed, leaving the exterior of the house as a hollow shell, he said.
Canton Fire Department shuttled water tankers to the scene. Recent fires have taught firefighters that Lehigh’s water supply is quickly depleted while fighting a house fire, Steketee said.
On the scene were 24 firefighters from the Lehigh, Hillsboro, and Canton fire departments.
Family and friends arrived at the fire quickly to help the Hill family, and the American Red Cross has contacted the family.
There has been a wave of fires since December, with Hillsboro Fire Department responding to five house fires, Steketee said.
He urges people to be aware of potential fire hazards.