Firefighters had to battle a smoky fire at a Cook Township house Sunday while being careful as ammunition in the house was exploding, a fire official said.

There were no injuries from the fire along Hoods Mill Road off Route 130, said Chestnut Ridge Fire Chief Shawn Kestner. The house appears to be a total loss.

The house was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived on the scene, Kestner said, and no firefighters went into the structure. The fire, in a rural area of Cook, was reported at 2:15 p.m.

Smoke pours from the remnants of a house along Hoods Mill Road in Cook on Sunday afternoon. (Joe Napsha | TribLive)  

With ammunition exploding inside the house, “we didn’t know what was inside,” Kestner said.

Firefighters used water from multiple tanker trucks and tapped into a stream running along Hoods Mill Road.

Chestnut Ridge firefighters were assisted by multiple units from the Ligonier area, Mt. Pleasant Township and Youngstown, Kestner said.

The cause of the fire was not known, Kestner said.

The chief said he contacted the American Red Cross to assist the homeowner.

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