By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

The home of Kelly Bernhardt at Limestone and 260th Rds. was a total loss in a house fire Monday that also killed the family’s pet, Hillsboro fire chief Ben Steketee said.

“A loss of life is the worst thing you can lose in a fire,” he said. “They lost some precious pets, so that’s very hard.”

A potbelly pig was confirmed to have died, but it was unclear whether any of the family’s dogs died, said Durham fire chief Mark Wiebe, who was in charge at the scene.

No cause has yet been determined, but it is still being investigated by fire marshals Steketee said.

The Red Cross was available to offer the family assistance, including a stay at a motel, Wiebe said.

“The family lost everything,” he said. “It’s nice that the Red Cross can show up and help the family get back on their feet a bit.”

Putting out the blaze took 20 to 25 firefighters three hours.

The fire was reported at 12:23 p.m., and Durham firefighters arrived on scene at 12:32 p.m. They were joined by Tampa, and Hillsboro.

Getting to structure fires in time is more difficult in the country than in town, Steketee said.

“It takes longer,” he said. “Even in this case, it takes longer to be reported. Especially out in the country, smoke isn’t that rare.”