A Salina family “lost everything” in a house fire late Tuesday night, including a couple of pets.

Salina Fire Inspector Troy Long tells KSAL News that the Amrine family had been away for Memorial Day Weekend. The family returned to their home at 1837 Simmons Tuesday evening at around 5:00.

The family brought several boxes containing items for a garage sale home with them.  They carried the boxes into the house. One of the boxes was placed partially on top of a stove.

The family left, and when they returned home several hours later discovered a fire inside the house.

Long says that when the box was placed on the stove, a burner was inadvertently turned on. The box ignited, and caught the house on fire.

According to Long the fire caused extensive damage. “They lost basically everything,” he said.

There were no injuries, but two cats died in the fire. Five other cats survived.

The family was renting the home, and had no rental insurance.

Long has a word of advice for all renters. “Get rental insurance, it’s cheap and it covers nearly everything,” he said.

The North Central Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family.

—

ORIGINAL: There were no injuries in a house fire in a Central Salina home late Tuesday night.

First responders were called at around 10:15 to the report of a fire in the 1800 block of Simmons. There was an active fire, with smoke and flames visible from the rear of the home at 1837 Simmons, when the first crews arrived.

The Salina Fire Department tells KSAL News that there were no injuries. An inspector was called to the scene to determine a cause of the fire.

The North Central Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to assist the family.