SALEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A family lost everything after a fire destroyed their home Wednesday morning in Luzerne County.
The house on Mingle Inn Road in Salem Township is gone, burned down to the foundation.
It started around 1 a.m. on Wednesday.
The homeowner, his wife, daughter, and three dogs did make it out okay.
That man told Newswatch 16 they were sleeping when he heard a noise.
He thought, at first, the place was being burglarized only to realize it was on fire.
Fire crews say getting water up the steep hill was a struggle.
"We had a lot of water issues. We had to reverse lay the third tanker all the way out to the road because the closest hydrant is about two miles away," said Salem Township Volunteer Fire Chief Lee Smith.
The house, an attached garage and detached garage burned too.
"My understanding is they were either constructing the upstairs or renovating," added Smith.
The family is staying with relatives.
They say they did not have insurance.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for the Howell Family here.