A Bogue Chitto couple is without a home following a Mondayafternoon fire on Windmill Road.

J.J. and Dot Michiels, of 3527 Windmill Road, lost their home,car and a four-wheeler in the blaze, said Jean Mercier,secretary/treasurer of the Bogue Chitto Volunteer FireDepartment.

“They lost everything. It’s a tragedy,” she said.

More than 20 firefighters from five departments, four pumpersand two tankers were used to battle the fire, but they couldn’tstop it from consuming the old pine house.

“It was hard to put out,” Mercier said. “We used more than45,000 gallons of water.”

A Bogue Chitto firefighter, Jeff Mercier, was treated at thescene by a King’s Daughters Medical Center paramedic for heatexhaustion and smoke inhalation.

Firefighters did not leave the scene until around 7:45 p.m. HogChain, Ruth, East Lincoln and Hueck’s Retreat volunteer firedepartments assisted Bogue Chitto at the scene.

Jean Mercier said the fire department was notified of the firearound 2:30 p.m.

“She was at home knitting. She saw the fire, went to aneighbor’s and called 911,” Mercier said. “It looks like it startedunder the carport.”

The cause of the fire is still not known, she said.

The Lincoln County chapter of the American Red Cross isassisting the family, said Layla Edwards, chapter director.