A fire rages early Sunday at 1725 Southport Drive in Lancaster Township.
Firefighters had to battle deep snow as well as flames early Sunday in Lancaster Township. Bitter-cold temperatures also were a factor.
Cold temperatures and a thick blanket of snow dogged firefighters early Sunday as they battled a house blaze in Lancaster Township.
"It definitely made things tough for us," Lancaster Township Fire Department Chief Ron Comfort Jr. said.
Firefighters were dispatched to 1725 Southport Drive at 1:19 a.m. after several people in the neighborhood called 911 to report the house was ablaze.
RAW VIDEO: Blaze destroys Lancaster Twp. home
Comfort said the couple who own the home were awakened by smoke detectors.
"They got out safely, thanks to the smoke detectors," he said.
The first firefighters on the scene found heavy smoke and flames.
Comfort said the air temperature at the time was 17 degrees and firefighters had to contend with the nearly 20 inches of snow that fell Friday night into Saturday.
The nearest fire hydrant was buried under that blanket of snow, and firefighters had to dig it out before they could connect hoses to it.
And once firefighters began spraying water, the mist coming off the spray froze to everything — including the firefighters.
"There was a lot of ice," he said. "Plus, we had to wade through all that snow to get around the house."
The blaze was finally declared under control around 3:30 a.m.
Comfort said the house was destroyed.
He estimated the damage to the house at $250,000. He could not estimate the amount of property damage inside the house.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation Sunday night.