(La Porte County, IN) - Fire heavily damaged a house Tuesday near Hudson Lake.

About 8 a.m., firefighters were called to a two story home in the area of 900 North and 700 East.   Owner Harold Slabaugh believes the fire was from a heat lamp keeping over a dozen baby chicks warm inside his shed. 

Flames spread to the outside wall of the nearby residence and into the roof of the home.

Slabaugh believes the house where he and his wife, Margaret, have lived since 2003 is a total loss but he’ll wait for his insurance company to make the final determination.

“It’s burnt.  Everything smells burnt.  It’s no good.  I think everything is a total loss,” he said.

Slaubaugh said he was at work at New York Blower while his wife was home with a grandchild when she spotted smoke and quickly vacated the residence.

All of the chicks he purchased about a month ago perished in the fire.