All three fire stations in Ames were called to 1125 Stafford Avenue to respond to a fire at 10:55 a.m. Thursday. Fourteen fire fighters, two engines and a ladder truck fought to try to prevent the fire from spreading.

Fire crews arrived on the scene at 10:58 a.m. and found that the inhabitants had already exited the building.

“Both people that were home escaped,” said Ames Fire Chief Clint Peterson.

Other than singed hair, both occupants of the home were unharmed. However, the house had extensive damage throughout.

“In my opinion the house and contents are a total loss,” said Deputy Fire Chief Paul Sandoval. “We’ve contacted the Red Cross, and they will take care of temporary housing.”

Ryan Doll, Ames 3rd Ward City Council representative and member of the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team, said members of the Red Cross received the call at about 11:20 a.m. and arrived at the scene at about 11:45 a.m.

The fire started from unknown causes in the basement and moved up through the walls.

“[Fire crews] first came in the basement and found the basement completely involved,” Peterson said.

“After about 10 minutes of fighting in the basement, the fire was completely overhead, and they were forced to exit the house.”

Walls near the basement were ripped out by the firefighters, while the garage was relatively untouched by the fire.

“We had to start from the outside working in,” Peterson said. “That’s called a defensive operation.”

During defensive fire operations, firefighters were unable to use the ladder truck due to the instability of the burning house.

“They opened the outside of the structure with chain saws and axes to get to the fire,” Sandoval said.

Lat Thongsouk and Mahn Thongsouk were residents of 1125 Stafford Avenue and are being assisted by the Red Cross. Neither were available for comment.

“Right now we’re conducting an investigation,” Sandoval said. “We hope to determine the cause after the investigation.”