A fire broke out in the living room of a log cabin on Sandy Point Road in Allegheny Township around 1 p.m. Friday. The home owners, Michael and Marsha Richard, were uninjured, but the home's living room and bedroom sustained significant damage.

ALLEGHENY TWP — An Amish-built log cabin on two acres of Sandy Point Road suffered significant damage after a fire Friday afternoon when the homeowner tried to light his wood burner with gasoline.

Michael Richard has lived at his log cabin home with his wife Marsha for three years, having bought it from an Amish man for $38,000.

Richard said he was trying to light his wood burner when the fire started, about 1 p.m. Apparently, the fire had gone out, and Richard put more gasoline on, resulting in a burst of fire that caught the living room floor on fire, he said.

From there, the couch caught on fire and the fire moved to the bedroom, according to Chad Grieff with the Emlenton Volunteer Fire Department.

Although the home is in Eau Claire Volunteer Fire Department’s coverage area, an Emlenton truck arrived first, said Ed Deal with the Eau Claire department.

Richard said he tried to put the fire out with blankets and clothing, but that did not work.

The Richards have homeowners’ insurance. Richard has spent the three years since he bought the home putting an addition on the back, and that addition was not damaged, he said.

He hopes the insurance will help cover the cost of repairs, which is estimated at $15,000 to $20,000, according to Grieff.

Richard said the fire departments plan to contact the American Red Cross to help arrange for housing until the home is repaired. The living room will need a new floor and couch, but the bedroom is considered a total loss, Grieff said.

For Richard, the worst part is how long it took for fire departments to respond, and he said it took about 20 minutes for any trucks to arrive.

Deal agreed that it took at least 15 minutes for the first engine from Emlenton to arrive.

Mid-day fires pose a challenge to volunteer fire departments, according to Deal. Because most volunteers are working during the day, fire companies have a difficult time garnering the manpower.

“Everybody hurts (with volunteer numbers) during the day,” Deal said. “Everybody works.”

The number of men who can respond during the workday depends on a number of factors, Deal said.

“That’s what happens when you don’t have any volunteers,” Richard said. “I’m surprised it’s still standing.”

Five fire departments answered: Eau Claire, Emlenton, Marion, Parker and St. Petersburg.

Zeus, the Richards’ Bullmastiff dog, was shaken by the event but escaped unharmed.