BRAINARDSVILLE — A Brainardsville resident was left homeless after a fire at 5965 State Route 374 resulted in a total loss Thursday.

Chateaugay Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the address along with several others at 11:24 a.m., and the house was fully involved when firefighters arrived there, Chateaugay Fire Chief Jerry Blow said.

He said only one person lived in the one-story house; he had left home at around 9 a.m.

Chateaugay received mutual aid from departments from Lyon Mountain, Burke, Constable, Ellenburg Depot, Ellenburg Center and Churubusco while Hinchinbrook, Quebec, stood by at Chateaugay’s station.

“Everything went well,” Blow said of all that support. “The mutual aid system was fantastic, as always.”

Blow believed that the fire was spotted by a passing UPS driver, but was not certain.

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Tanker task force

Roughly 36,000 gallons of water were used to fight the blaze, he said.

Departments drew it from the area of the “Forge” Dam in the Town of Bellmont, where the Chateaugay River meets Chateaugay Lake; it was hauled to the fire in tanker trucks.

“The driveway was a little icy, but other than that nothing was too difficult,” Blow said about the extinguishing effort.

Chateaugay Fire Department was back in service at 3:19 p.m.

The property is owned by Deborah Fitzpatrick, who lived there, according to the Franklin County Real Property Office.

Blow said the North Country Chapter of the American Red Cross showed up to provide aid to the resident.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Thursday.