A home in rural Douglas County near Clinton burned to the ground Sunday evening as dozens of area firefighters scrambled to find water to extinguish the blaze.

The fire at 938 E. 300 Road began around 5 p.m. and quickly spread throughout the ranch-style home. When firefighters first arrived, they quickly ran out of water before tanker trucks from several rural volunteer fire departments arrived.

“Anytime you fight fire in the county, and you don’t have hydrants, it’s a problem,” Clinton Township Fire Department Capt. Dan Hardtarfer said.

The nearest source of water to fight the fire was Clinton Lake.

Firefighters battled the fire over the course of an hour and a half before fully extinguishing the flames. By then, only the frame of the house remained.

According to fire officials on the scene, the residents of the home were not at home when the fire started, and no one was hurt.

Firefighters from area departments spent nearly two hours trying to put out a fire that consumed a house in Clinton. Finding enough water to fight the fire proved a problem Sunday. No one was injured, but the house burned to the ground.

Douglas County records show the home is owned by Tommy Gaines and valued at $56,100. The home was a total loss.

Several area fire departments responded to the scene, including Clinton Township, Lecompton, Palmyra and Eudora.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation Sunday night, Hardtarfer said, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office would inspect the property today. Hardtarfer did say that the nature of the fire was not suspicious.

Hardtarfer said he spoke briefly with Gaines, who declined any Red Cross assistance and was staying in a hotel room for the night before making other plans.

“You don’t know how hard it is until it happens to you,” Hardtarfer said.