Mooring View Lane home destroyed by fire

A house on Mooring View Lane in rural Columbia Falls was destroyed by fire in a spectacular blaze Friday afternoon.

Homeowner Rick Greer said he went outside to let the dogs out and noticed the back porch was on fire, possibly from embers from the wood stove. By the time he got into the house, it was completely on fire.

Greer got out of the house unscathed. No one else was home at the time.

The home, located on a hill in the woods, was tough for firefighters to initially access — it has a steep drive and two firefighting vehicles got stuck in the icy driveway.

The official cause is still under investigation. Firefighters from Bad Rock and Columbia Falls responded, along with mutual aid from Creston. Four dogs got out of the house OK, though a fifth was missing, but family members said it may have just been running around in the woods.

Firefighters were still on the scene at 5 p.m.