A historic Massachusetts house was destroyed after a fire broke out Tuesday morning in Princeton, Massachusetts.
Fire officials say lightning struck a home on Mountain Road overnight. Two hours later, when the homeowner awoke, Princeton Fire Chief John Bennett says much of the house was fully involved.
The family inside heard their dog barking at 3 a.m. and then saw the entire backside of the house engulfed in flames around 5 a.m., according to officials.
The lightning strike has been determined as the cause of the fire.
Responding firefighters quickly ran out of water, as there was no immediate source, which resulted in crews staying out of the home.
"We're pulling water out of ponds and these trucks are driving as quick as they can to fill up with water at local ponds and then come back up here and then dump it into this portable pond in order for us to get a supply line," Chief Bennett said. "The problem is there's no water in the immediate area."
According to officials, it took firefighters from 20 towns to bring the fire under control. More than 12 hours later, crews were still working to make sure the fire was out.
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The building used to be an inn and was also a monastery for a short period of time.
There were no injuries, and officials say the family's dogs got out safely.
