Coram fire destroys home, dog missing

Heavy snow fell as a house burned on U.S. 2 East in Coram on Monday morning. Firefighters from the Martin City, Coram/West Glacier and Hungry Horse fire departments responded.

One neighbor said he heard a big bang before the fire. The Dennis Beard family lived in the home, neighbors said.

No one was injured, but a dog died in the fire, according to Coram/West Glacier fire chief Matt Cox. After the owner got the other dogs out, he returned to the burning building but was unable to locate the older dog in the smoke, Cox said.

It took firefighters three hours to fight the fire, which left the home a total loss, Cox said.

“It was a tough one ... it was an older structure that was remodeled multiple times,” he said. “It had wall upon wall, and underneath the ceiling and roof [the fire] gets up into all the little nooks and crannies and makes it really hard to get out.”

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical problem.

Heavy snow fell as a house burned on U.S. 2 East in Coram on Monday morning. Firefighters from the Martin City, Coram/West Glacier and Hungry Horse fire departments responded.

One neighbor said he heard a big bang before the fire. The Dennis Beard family lived in the home, neighbors said.

No one was injured, but a dog died in the fire, according to Coram/West Glacier fire chief Matt Cox. After the owner got the other dogs out, he returned to the burning building but was unable to locate the older dog in the smoke, Cox said.

It took firefighters three hours to fight the fire, which left the home a total loss, Cox said.

“It was a tough one ... it was an older structure that was remodeled multiple times,” he said. “It had wall upon wall, and underneath the ceiling and roof [the fire] gets up into all the little nooks and crannies and makes it really hard to get out.”

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical problem.