70-year-old woman, exchange student displaced by fire

TOWN OF BELGIUM (WITI) -- A 70-year-old woman and a foreign exchange student staying with her in the Town of Belgium have no place to call home -- after flames ripped through a home on County Trunk LL on Sunday night, March 2nd.

"There were just fire trucks from everywhere in my driveway, water trucks, the road was blocked off, ice, flames, everything everywhere," a neighbor told FOX6 News.

The call came in around 11:35 p.m., and multiple agencies responded.

Captain Jeff Taylor with the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office says crews battled the fire for hours and eventually had to knock down a portion of the house.

"It was determined that the fire was not of suspicious nature and most likely started in the attic -- possibly an electrical fire," Captain Taylor said.

The 70-year-old woman who owned the home, the foreign exchange student living with her and their dogs got out safely.

A neighbor who doesn't want to be identified saw the whole thing and was terrified for her friend.

"Sick, sick to my stomach. She's lived there 20 years and has raised 11 kids there," the neighbor said.

Officials say there is no city water, so fire crews had to transport water to the scene, and the freezing temperatures made the job even harder.

"Because it was so cold, they couldn't be out very long. Their uniforms were just frozen. I didn't even know how they did it," a neighbor said.

Now comes the difficult task of picking up the pieces and starting over.

"It's one degree outside and they just lost their house and everything inside. I'm sure at 70-years-old she had a lot of memories that she lost in that house so that's heartbreaking," Captain Taylor said.

A fund has been started to help out in this case. You're encouraged to CLICK HERE if you would like to help.

The American Red Cross was on site to help the homeowner -- and were able to provide her with lodging for one night, and a reloadable credit card.

The American Red Cross needs your donations after a busy weekend of helping families impacted by fires. If you're interested in donating to the Red Cross CLICK HERE.