A home was destroyed by a fire at a home near Smithton on Sunday afternoon.
It took about 45 minutes to get the fire under control. No injuries were reported, said Hecker Fire Chief Ralph Eckart.
The fire started about 2:30 p.m. at 3718 Knab Road, Eckart said.
The roof of the house collapsed. Eckart said some of the walls were salvaged but the home was a total loss.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Eckart said.
"The lady that lives there was not home at the time of the fire," Eckart said. He said she does have insurance.
Eckart did not release the name of the homeowner.
Hecker, Smithton, New Athens and Millstadt fire departments responded.
Eckart said it took an additional two hours to finish putting out other hot spots at the home.
He said the hardest part of fighting the fire was the heat and water supply.
Because the fire was in a rural area, the fire departments had to bring in tankers of water to help put out the fire.
Distributed by the Associated Press
