PHILMONT – Meg Cassin lived in her house at 10 Ark Street in Philmont for 15 years. She had less than one year left on her mortgage.  Shortly before noon on Monday, her house and dreams went up in flames.

Cassin took her two dogs out for a walk and when she returned 20 minutes later, saw her three-story house in a ball of flames.

The house was gone when firefighters arrived on the scene, said Philmont Fire Chief Vernon Higgins.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze, but Cassin said the smoke from her wood stove smelled funny before she left.

Firemen initially had trouble pumping water from the nearby Philmont reservoir. Three fire departments battled the flames – Philmont, Claverack and Mellenville.