Correction: A previous version of this article included information about a fundraising effort to assist the family affected by this fire. However, the homeowner stated the family was unaware the account had been set up and, while the effort is appreciated, requests that charitable donations be directed to help other people in need.

A fire gutted a historic house in Bryan County shortly after midnight Monday.

The home at 231 Highway 204 in the Lanier community is “a total loss,” Bryan County Emergency Services Chief Freddy Howell said.

No one was home when the fire started, he said.

Bryan County Emergency Services and the Pembroke Fire Department were dispatched to the fire at 12:43 a.m., according to Howell. Flames were shooting from a corner of the house when they arrived, he said.

“It took firefighters most of the night to get the fire out,” Howell said.

The house was 115 years old, according to the homeowner, and it “was all wood construction, which helped with the intensity of the burning,” Howell said. “Since the area doesn't have hydrants, water tankers were used to shuttle water to fight the fire.”

Bulloch County sent a tanker trunk to assist with shuttling water, according to Howell.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Howell said.

“We didn’t find anything suspicious,” he added.