House destroyed in Fruitland fire, two pets lost

Firefighters from three departments responded to a house fire this morning at the intersection of county roads 553 and 525 near Fruitland.

Crews from the Fruitland, East County and Gordonville fire districts began arriving at the scene around 11 a.m., said Billy Breckenridge and Michael Rahlfs of the Fruitland Area Fire Department. No one was home when the fire started, and the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined. The house was a total loss.

"When it's this much, it's hard to determine where it started and how it started," said Rahlfs. "We're still digging around and putting out hot spots yet."

A pet dog and turtle died in the fire, and two other dogs had not been found Friday afternoon.

Homeowner Rachel Partridge, a nurse at SoutheastHEALTH, was pulled from a surgery room and told about the fire. She lived in the home with her husband, James, and an 8-year-old son.

"They're good, Christian people. They'd help out anybody," said a neighbor, Angie Storz, who has offered to house the family as long as needed.

Red Cross representatives arrived on the scene shortly after 1 p.m. to begin the recovery process.