GEIST, Ind. --
A Geist homeowner lost all of his belongings and his two dogs when his house was destroyed by fire Thursday evening.
The blaze, which just before 5 p.m. at the home in the 10800 block of 97th Street, engulfed the home, sending flames shooting from the roof.
Ron Lipps with the Fishers Fire Department said there are no hydrants in the area, forcing crews to run about 2,000 feet of hose from a nearby community.
"It felt like a pretty long time for us standing here, waiting for water," Lipps told 6News' Dan Spehler.
Homeowner Clarence Leiter said he arrived home from running errands to find his house on fire. He rushed inside to try and save his two dogs.
"I couldn't hardly breathe. I couldn't see. The heat was enormous," he said. "I figured maybe I can save one of them, but that didn't happen."
Firefighters were able to pull one of the dogs from the home, but both animals later died.
Leiter suffered minor injuries in the fire. Lipps said the home is a total loss.
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