The Spalding County Fire Department on Wednesday responded to a residential structure fire at 44 Dickerson Road.

“It was a working structure fire,” said SCFD Battalion Chief Jamie Clark. “Flames were showing through the roof when we arrived on scene.”

Efforts to fight the fire were complicated, Clark said, by the addition of a double-wide mobile home to the rear of the residence.

“The fire started in the floor and we couldn’t get underneath to it because it was so low to the ground,” he said. “There were three layers of flooring — two layers of plywood and one layer of particleboard. We had to cut access holes inside to try to climb down and get to the fire.”

In addition to the usual challenges SCFD personnel face when responding to a call, Clark said Wednesday’s weather placed further demands on the firefighters, who were on the scene for slightly more than five hours.

“With the extreme heat and humidity, it was so dangerous,” Clark said.

When asked to describe the damage the structure sustained, Clark said it was extensive.

“I would say it was a complete loss, because the fire did break through the roof. If an area of the structure didn’t have fire damage, it had smoke, heat or water damage,” he said.

Fortunately, the homeowners were not present at the time and no SCFD personnel required medical treatment.

Clark said no cause for the fire has been identified.

“The origin was around the area of the water heater, but I believe (Spalding County Fire Marshal) Eddie James left the cause undetermined as of now.”