(Spirit Lake)– A Spirit Lake couple is homeless as the result of a fire late Saturday afternoon.
Spirit Lake firefighters were called to the Bob and Nancy Thoreson residence at 2104 Hill Avenue around 3:45 p.m.
Upon arriving Fire Chief Wally Jorgenson says smoke could be seen coming from nearly every opening in the house. Jorgenson says it took firefighters several hours to extinguish the smoky blaze. Some firefighters remained on the scene until nearly 11:00 p.m. keeping an eye out for flare-ups.
No one was home when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported. A police officer managed to get a dog and a cat out of the house uninjured.
Jorgenson says the interior of the house is pretty much gutted.
Jorgenson says an investigation by the State Fire Marshall determined the fire was caused by a short in an extension cord that went from the kitchen into another room.
The fire was discovered by a neighbor who saw smoke coming from the residence and called authorities.
Jorgenson says it appears the fire had been burning for quite some time prior to that.
