A Gantt home is a total loss after firefighters from three fire departments battled the blaze for more than four hours yesterday.

Gantt Volunteer Fire Department arrived on scene at 1:10 p.m. to find Shelby and Shirley Gorum’s house engulfed in flames.

“From the call we got, the fire started in a car in the carport and then spread to the house,” Gantt Fire Capt. Scott Fight said.

With assistance from the River Falls Fire Department, the GVFD started to battle the furious blaze shortly after they arrived.

Firefighters had to check the surroundings of the house because a large propane tank was located in the rear, Fight said.

“They kept it cool and from blowing,” he said.

Since the house was located a good distance from Pier 7 Road, three fire engines had to tether together to get water to the fire.

Three hoses were aimed at the blaze at one time with one of them being manned by a Covington County Sheriff’s Deputy.

Because the fire was so hot, four or five firefighters had to be treated for heat exhaustion by Advanced EMS.

Fight said all are OK.

Even with assistance from River Falls, the GVFD had to call for mutual aid from Heath.

Before fire crews arrived on scene, Fight’s wife — who is one of the Gorum’s neighbors — said she saw smoke “boiling up” from the trees.

“It was terrifying when you hadn’t seen them come out of the house,” she said. “I started to panic.

“Then I saw them coming out from the smoke,” she said.

Shirley Gorum said the family lost everything.

“Everything we’ve got is in that house,” she said.

No one was injured as a result of the fire, Fight said.

Fight said the fire is under investigation.

“We’ll have someone come in and determine what actually caused it,” he said.