PALESTINE – A house fire struck a family of four Thursday afternoon on Osprey Drive near Palestine Lake. Burket Fire Department responded to the call of a house fire at 5935 W. Osprey Drive shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, with a full assist provided by the Mentone Fire Department. The homeowner was listed as Lonny Hodges in a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department incident report. Approximately 30 firefighters from both departments fought the blaze, which shot flames through the roof of the home. Four-Way Emergency Services EMS also responded to a neighboring house where the family was seeking refuge during the fire, and transported a young male to Kosciusko Community Hospital. When a resident of the home reported the fire to Kosciusko Dispatch, a dog was reported as trapped inside the home. Shortly over an hour after the fire started, firefighters located a wet, shivering but alive puppy and returned it to the family. The Kosciusko County chapter of the American Red Cross provided comfort kits and assistance to the family. A cause of the fire and damage estimates were unvailable at press time, pending results of the investigation.
