By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

ABILENE -- Ann and Guy Winters were at work when the home they were renting from Ann's parents was destroyed by fire Thursday morning.

No one was hurt, not even a pet, said Ann's mother, Mary Flora, Solomon. But the boyhood home of her husband Dwight Flora, five miles west of Abilene, was a total loss. The Winters lost all of their possessions, she said.

"They're just devastated," Mary Flora said of her daughter and son-in-law.

"Annie didn't even have a coat when she went to work," Mary Flora said.

Although the home is insured, she said the contents were not.

"We're hoping to rebuild," Mary Flora said.

Solomon Fire Chief Dan Britt said the reports came in at 10:41 a.m. Although the fire was under control "pretty fast," he said the house and contents could not be saved.

On the way to the fire, Britt said, he called out the Grant Township firefighters for help and the Talmage-Longford Fire Department for more water capacity.

Firefighters were on the scene until 5:30 p.m., looking for hot spots in the ashes.

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

The Winters are staying with Guy's mother, Ruby Winters, Flora said. Britt said the American Red Cross has offered temporary assistance to the couple.

Flora said a fund has been established in the couple's name at UMB Bank in Abilene.

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