Three departments battle pre-dawn blaze near Spencerville

SPENCERVILLE — Residents of a rural Spencerville home received an unwanted awakening early Monday when their home caught fire.

Chief Dave Evans, of the Spencerville Invincible Fire Department, said firefighters were called to 2324 St. Marys Road, part of the state Route 66 corridor between Spencerville and Delphos, around 4:15 a.m. Monday.

“The house was fully engulfed when we arrived on scene,” Evans said. “They were out, standing outside when we arrived.”

With heavy fire showing from the structure, firefighters from Delphos and American Township were called to provide mutual aid, Evans said. All the occupants of the house were able to escape without injury, Evans said.

The Division of State Fire Marshal was called to the scene to help in the investigation, Evans said.

“We’re waiting for the fire marshal to arrive at this location,” Evans said.

Evans said investigators had not determined a cause or a point of origin for the fire and were waiting for more examination of the scene by the fire marshal investigator.

The blaze forced officials to close state Route 66 for about four hours, with numerous tractor-trailers forced to either wait it out or attempt to turn around on the two-lane state highway.

Evans said the American Red Cross was notified to help provide assistance to the residents.

The house is considered a total loss, Evans said. The house is valued at $99,900, according to the Allen County Auditor’s Office website.