MONKTON — On Wednesday morning, fire ravaged the Bristol Road home of Tom Cousino in Monkton.
According to Monkton Volunteer Fire Department Chief David Layn, the call was made by firefighter Robert Howard, who noticed the house was on fire on his way to work, around 6:45 a.m.
Cousino was asleep in the house at the time, but awoke coughing from the smoke. He climbed out of his bedroom window and slid down the shed roof, according to Layn.
Monkton firefighters called in firefighters from Bristol and New Haven for support, and a total of 13 firefighters arrived on the scene in an attempt to put out the flames. The house, however, was already too far gone.
“When we got there, it was fully involved,” Layn reported on Friday.
It was only a matter of a couple hours before the fire had completely consumed the structure. 
“The house was totally destroyed,” Layn said. “It’s gone, totally.”
But luckily, Layn added, no one was hurt.
 Cousino’s garage, which was set back from the house, remains intact, and no other homes were in danger.
According to Lane, the investigator pronounced the cause of the fire to be undeterminable.
The Red Cross has provided the displaced Cousino with financial assistance to “help as he begins the recovery process,” as stated in a press release issued by the Northern Vermont chapter.
Tamara Hilmes is at [email protected].