NILES —  A fire that started Thursday morning in a remodeled home at 245 Sorin killed a dog and destroyed the structure, according to Niles Township Fire Chief Gary Brovold.

The fire occurred at 7:50 a.m. Thursday. Authorities from Clay Township, Niles Township, Niles city and Bertrand Township responded to the call.

When authorities reached the scene, the fire was already raging, Brovold described.

“There was smoke and flames showing,” Brovold said. “The house is a total loss.”

While no one was living in the home, Brovold said the owners Anita and Steve Boley had left their dog inside to keep watch over the property.

“They had problems with people getting in the home, so they left the dog there as a deterrent,” Brovold said. “The dog did perish in the fire. They are pretty upset.”

Because there was no fire hydrant system on the block, firefighters had to transport water from just outside of Campbell Ford and Aunt Millie’s Bakery Outlet, where a hydrant was located. Throughout the morning, firetrucks could be seen filling up their tanks and speeding back to the scene about two blocks away.

At about 9:30 a.m., the fire was ruled under control. A ladder truck was utilized to dump water on top of the home and fire foam was also used to contain the blaze.

Third and Ontario streets to Sorin were closed down as firefighters battled the blaze and later in the morning when they remained at the scene to monitor hot spots.

Brovold said a concern during the fire was keeping the fire from damaging other homes. At about 9:30 a.m., he said authorities were not sure whether surrounding homes had sustained any heat damage.

At this time, Brovold said they do not know what caused the fire or where inside the home the fire originated. State fire investigators were called to the scene and will be analyzing the scene.

“State fire investigators will be here whether we determine anything or not,” Brovold said. “We will get a handle, dig through it and see what we can find.”