Fire destroys Depauw home

A Depauw home was destroyed by fire last week while the homeowner was away at work.
Lonnie Leake, chief of the Ramsey Volunteer Fire Dept., said his department and the Milltown Volunteer Fire Dept. were notified of the fire in the 6400 block of S.R. 64 just east of Milltown about 5:45 p.m. last Wednesday.
‘The flames were already through the roof by the time we got there,’ about nine minutes later, Leake said.
Additional manpower was requested from Marengo and Palmyra fire departments ‘due to the heat and time of day,’ Leake said.
The single-story residence was unoccupied at the time firefighters arrived.
Leake said yesterday he is unsure what time they cleared the scene, but it was between 9 and 9:30 p.m. The homeowner, whom Leake declined to identify, arrived from work sometime after that and found the charred remains of his home.
‘The family had insurance,’ Leake said.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but Leake said it appears to be accidental and electrical in nature.
‘The state fire marshal was called in, but I don’t have his report back yet,’ he said.
Leake said he and Ramsey Vance, chief of the Milltown VFD, appreciated the response from the firefighters in Marengo and Palmyra, and were appreciative of the drinks supplied by the EMS personnel from Harrison County Hospital in Corydon.