Big blaze destroys home near Jackson on Friday

Elvin and Donna Ladd spent a couple of years renovating their old farmhouse north of Jackson before moving in about five years ago. During the summer the couple added a living area in the southeast corner of the house for his mother.

"We pretty much built it," Elvin Ladd said.

Jackson Fire and Rescue's Andrew Juden sprays the northeast corner of the Ladd home on Big Cone Lane Friday, October 16, 2009, north of Jackson. (Kit Doyle)

Years renovations and improvements went up in flames Friday as a fire gutted the second floor of their home on Big Cone Lane.

Fruitland Area Fire Department Chief Dean Riley shovels flaming piles of paper from the second floor of the Ladd home on Big Cone Lane Friday, October 16, 2009, north of Jackson. (Kit Doyle)

Andy Renner, assistant chief of the Fruitland Area Fire Protection District, said the home was at least 60 percent damaged. The first floor sustained water and smoke damage, he said.

Members of the Fruitland Area Fire Protection District responded to a call around noon. At one point 25 firefighters from the Fruitland, Jackson and Millersville fire departments were battling the blaze.

Renner said firefighters were able to bring the fire under control quickly after arriving on scene.

"We had it pretty well under control in the first 15 minutes," he said.

The couple was home when the fire broke out. Donna Ladd said their dogs and the smoke alarms alerted them.

When he went to investigate smoke coming from an upstairs closet, Elvin Ladd said the closet door flew open. He went to the garage to get a fire extinguisher but could not return in time.

"It went so fast," he said.

The couple got out of the house unharmed.

"We got the dogs out, and the kids were at school," she said.