No injuries were reported in a fire early Tuesday afternoon in Lambton Shores.
Fire Chief James Marshall said firefighters responded to a house fire on Wood Drive near Kettle and Stony Point at around 1 p.m.
Marshall said when firefighters arrived on scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames.
"The home was a total loss actually up on our arrival," said Marshall. "There was some other buildings we were able to protect and there was no extension to them, and there was no damage to any of the neighbouring homes."
Marshall said fire apparatus and tankers from all Lambton Shores fire stations responded, and supplemental firefighters were also on scene.
He said the fire presented some challenges.
"There were some limitations in regards to access to the home," said Marshall. "It was down a long narrow road and we were not on a municipal water supply, so we were shuttling water from outside of the initial area where the fire was. So, with that you have to have different crews that are running hydrants and shuttling water back and forth, which takes firefighters to do that."
Damage is estimated at around $490,000, and the exact cause is still under investigation.
"A couple of key takeaways is that a fire can happen at any time," said Marshall. "Clearly this was just a catastrophic event for this family, if it had happened in the middle of the night, working smoke alarms would have been the only opportunity for them to get out safely."
