Fire destroys unoccupied home in Libby

An unoccupied Libby house went up in flames Thursday morning, destroyed by a fire that took 2 1/2 hours and more than two dozen firefighters to quell.

The two-story ranch style home on 1309 Washington Ave. suffered a loss of approximately $40,000, according to assistant fire marshal Steve Lauer.

“It’s pretty well trashed in there,” homeowner Jeff Graham said Thursday.

Jeff and his wife, Sue Graham, were trying to sell the house, which was in the process of being remodeled.

While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the homeowners said that firefighters found a dead squirrel at the scene.

Jeff speculated that a squirrel could have chewed through wiring, causing sparks to catch the house on fire.

Libby dispatch received two 911 calls from neighbors at 4:40 a.m. regarding the house that was completely engulfed in flames. Libby Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene six minutes after dispatch, and used two fire engines, one command support vehicle and 29 firefighters to put out the flames.