A winter snowstorm made it difficult for fire crews battling a house fire in Sullivan Monday morning.
The fire department was called to the home at county roads CI and E just before 2:30 a.m. No one was home at the time, but crews had to use an excavator to extinguish the flames. The home had to be torn down and is a total loss.
Fire Chief Mark Flood said the snow more than doubled their response time, as feet of snow drifted on the rural roads.
Crews from Palmyra shuttled in water to help the fire fight, and cold temperatures made trucks freeze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Flood said it doesn't look suspicious.