Heartbreak for an American family who's summer time home has been destroyed by fire in Fort Erie.
Fort Erie Fire Chief Mark Schmitt says they were called this morning, just before 9, to the scene on Edgemere Road.
"It would be a summer residence, right on the lake. The owners are from the US side, it's been in the family for a couple of generations."
He says fire fighters remain at the scene ensuring any hot spots don't flare up again.
The cause is not known yet.
"Nobody was home at the time of the fire, they [the owners] arrived roughly within an hour and half of being notified of the fire. They came from Buffalo."
The fire chief adds because they also had other calls to answer, Niagara Falls fire department helped.