Leonidas house fire burns for nearly five hours

LEONIDAS, Mich. (Newschannel 3) - Fire crews in Leonidas are working to put out a house fire that has been burning for almost five hours.

The fire started just before 7 p.m. at a home at 30720 M-60 in Leodonis, which is in the northwestern part of St. Joseph County.

Firefighters originally thought that the fire was the result of a meth lab explosion, because they found what they thought to be a case of Sudafed in the basement.

However, when they pulled the case out of the home, they realized it was just a case of Sucrets cough drops.

One woman was inside the home when the fire started, but was able to get out safely. She told Newschannel 3 that she had been tending a wood-burning fire in the basement all day, and it spread after she went upstairs around dinnertime.

Fighting the fire was a logistical nightmare for firefighters, because there were no nearby fire hydrants, and water had to be brought in with tankers from the surrounding area.

Also, it was difficult get to parts of the still-burning fire once it had spread throughout the home, because water being sprayed into the home collected on the second story floors and grew to be about one foot deep, and firefighters were concerned that the floor could collapse.

The Leonidas Fire Chief told Newschannel 3 that the cause of the fire had not yet been officially determined.

Stay with Newschannel 3 for updates on this story.