The fire broke out shortly after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at a two-story single-family home on North Bohemia Avenue in Cecilton, authorities said.
The homeowners and their 10-year-old child, escaped without injury but could do little but watch as their home was consumed by the blaze, though one bold Royal Farms employee did their best to quell the flames.
Officials said the family first noticed smoke before discovering flames on the side of the house.
Passersby also spotted the fire, and the employee from a nearby Royal Farms attempted to help with a fire extinguisher, but the flames spread rapidly through the "balloon-framed structure."
The Cecilton Volunteer Fire Company responded with more than two dozen firefighters, bringing the fire under control within an hour, though hotspots required attention well into the early morning on Thursday.
The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damages to the structure and contents.
Investigators believe the blaze started in an exterior wall, and while the exact cause remains under investigation, a failure of the wood stove flue pipe has not been ruled out. The family is being assisted by friends and the American Red Cross as they begin to rebuild, officials said.
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