A fire Wednesday afternoon destroyed a historic Saline County residence, leaving a family of five without a house.
A passerby noticed flames coming from the house at 8853 East Cloud and reported the fire shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning. By the time firefighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames, he said.
The house was owned by Amanda and Eric Puvogel. No one but a cat was home at the time, he added. The cat has not been found.
The house, built in the 1890s, had been completely restored, Soldan said.
Buffeted by gusting winds, the fire quickly spread to a chicken coop, a Chevrolet Silverado, and a Morton Building on the property, he said.
At the time of the fire, winds were gusting at 48-51 mph, according to a report from the Salina Regional Airport weather station.
Total loss was estimated at $750,000, Soldan said.
Because of the quickly spreading fire, firefighters from Rural Fire District 1, Rural Fire District 5, and the Solomon Fire Department responded to the blaze, Soldan said.
An official cause of the fire had not yet been determined.