No one was home when a passerby reported the structure ablaze about 9:30 p.m., Yonkin said.

The identities of the couple were not released.

Within minutes after arriving on the scene, a fire officer called for a second alarm.

A team of firefighters were able to make an interior attack with hoses for about 10 minutes, but then things began to deteriorate, Yonkin said.

Volunteer firefighters from several communities battled intense flames and bitter-cold temperatures while fighting this house fire just outside Dushore on Friday night. PROVIDED PHOTO

“The crews were making good progress, but then we had a partial collapse of the second floor at the rear of the house,” he said, adding that he suspected the home was built in the late 1800s.

“The collapse changed the volume and nature of the fire, so we activated the evacuation tone (the sounding of the air horns on the fire trucks),” Yonkin said.

An order also went out on portable radios that everyone was to get out of the house.

“It was a very tough fire to fight because of the age of the structure, the balloon-type construction and lots of void spaces where the fire could easily hide,” Yonkin explained.

Besides the intense flames, firefighters had to contend with the bitter cold as overnight temperatures hovered around 15 degrees.

Initially, firefighters used a hydrant in the borough as their water supply, but then began shuttling tankers from Kast Pond, Yonkin said.

The fire was declared under control about 11 p.m. One Dushore volunteer firefighter was treated at Guthrire Towanda Memorial Hospital for injuries after falling on ice.

Yonkin said the home was a total loss and estimated damage in excess of $130,000, adding that the homeowners had fire insurance.

Assisting Dushore were firefighters from Mildred, Eagles Mere, Muncy Valley, Forksville as well as crews from Bradford County’s New Albany and Wilmot fire departments.

Firemen remained on the scene until 5 a.m. Saturday, dousing hot spots throughout the night.

The cause of the fire was ruled accidental, likely sparked by a propane heater on the first floor that apparently malfunctioned, Yonkin said.