ISLE LA MOTTE, Vt. -
Andrea Parker was at work when she received a call around 12:30 about her family's dream home along the shores of Lake Champlain.
"Everybody jokes on me all the time, I thought it was a joke," she said.
But as she drove up Lake Shore Road in Isle La Motte she realized it was no joke.
"I saw 20 fire trucks, a lot of smoke and there's nothing left tot he house," said Parker.
Gusting winds fueled the flames and the 5,000 square foot home quickly burned to the ground. Firefighters from nine departments from Vermont, New York and Canada responded but could only focus on stopping the flames from jumping to a nearby barn.
The Parker's dog is believed to have died in the fire.
"There were neighbors that were trying to do stuff but there was nothing they could do. Not with the intense heat it was putting off. It was burning stuff 200 feet away, because of the wind that was blowing 10-15 mph out of the west," said Isle La Motte fire chief Bruce Noble.
The home dates back to the mid 1800s and was on the historic registry. The Parker family had just finished renovating it a few months ago.
"It's beautiful, some of the woodwork and stuff is gorgeous, I've been in this house," commented Noble.
Fire officials say rebuilding the home will cost about $700,000. Parker is unsure if her wife and 7-year-old son will want to.
"It was a dream house, it's on the lake, has a pool, 6 bedrooms, we had a lot of family that came here, they spent the whole summer here, it was perfect," said Parker.
Fire officials say the damage is so extensive, they are not sure where the blaze even started. State police fire investigators will assist the Isle La Motte Fire Department in trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
