COLDWATER – A fire Saturday morning destroyed a Coldwater house.

Coldwater Fire Chief Dave Schmaltz says his department was called to 129 Hayton Street just after 3 AM. Crews arrived and found a two story house that had heavy fire coming from the front of the building and the garage.
The Quincy Fire Department was called in to help battle the blaze. It took firefighters approximately one hour to get the fire under control. The house is considered a total loss, with damage estimates at $275,000. In addition, three vehicles that were parked in the driveway were destroyed by the fire.

According to Schmaltz, five people who were inside were woken up by smoke detectors and got out of the house safely. Also assisting at the scene were the Coldwater Police Department, Branch County Victim's Services, the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, Life Care Ambulance and the American Red Cross. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.