A Wednesday morning house fire injured one individual and destroyed a residence near the intersection of Diamond Ridge Road and Stratus Road.

Kachemak Emergency Services responded, with mutual aid provided by Homer Volunteer Fire Department and Anchor Point Fire and Emergency Medical Service Area.

The injured man was in the house when the fire broke out. He was helped out of the burning building by neighbors and taken by ambulance to South Peninsula Hospital.

“The ER treated one victim from the fire who is scheduled for a medical transport this afternoon,” Derotha Ferraro, SPH spokesperson, said Wednesday afternoon.

Flames and a column of thick black smoke caught the attention of neighbors, as well as motorists along the Sterling Highway.

Diamond Ridge resident Chad Jones was retuning to his home when he saw “black smoke roaring up.”

While a neighbor dialed 911, Jones, a former emergency medical technician and firefighter in Minnesota, helped the man out of the house.

“I got him out into the yard and then the ambulance got there pretty darn quick,” said Jones.

From his Belnap Drive home, Tim Brockhoff was able to see what was happening.

“Man, the house was smoking and on fire,” said Brockhoff, who also dialed 911.

Bob Cicciarella, chief of Kachemak Emergency Services, said KES was notified of the fire shortly after 9 a.m.

“It was going pretty good when we got here. The heat was so intense, we had to back the engine out to the street. It’s a total loss,” said Cicciarella of the residence.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

A pet cat was in the house at the time of the fire, but managed to escape, according to Ciciarella. Jones also was aware the cat had made it out of the burning building, but had not seen it since. He was attempting to lure it back to the neighborhood so it could be cared for. 

Two engines, two tankers, a rescue truck, the ambulance and about 15 personnel were dispatched to the fire from KES. Anchor Point and Homer each sent a tanker, as well as manpower.

“The fire didn’t spread to other buildings and vehicles were out of the fire’s way, so there was no other damage,” said Cicciarella. 

Alaska State Troopers also responded to the fire and helped provide traffic control along Diamond Ridge Road during the brief time it was closed. 

With the remains of the house blanketed in heavy smoke, firefighters continued to work through the morning to ensure the fire was extinguished.

“The house has a basement so we’ve got to be careful,” said Cicciarella.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.