An fire early Monday morning destroyed a home in south Salem’s Morningside neighborhood, displacing the resident and their dog. Salem firefighters responded to the fire around 4 a.m. after a caller reported seeing flames at the home and concerns about an elderly occupant and a dog still inside, according to a statement from the Salem Fire Department. Photos show the house was located at 1015 Southeast Ratcliff Drive. Firefighters arrived to find a heavy fire at the back of the house and found that the resident had safely left the home, according to Brian Carrara, Salem fire’s assistant chief of business operations. The fire caused an estimated $300,000 in damages to the home, which firefighters “deemed a total loss,” Carrara said in an email. A fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, he said. Firefighters controlled the fire within 30 minutes and stayed at the scene throughout the morning to make sure the fire did not flare up again. The exterior of the house on Southeast Ratcliff Drive that was destroyed by an early morning fire Monday, April 14. (Salem Fire Department) The fire department contacted the American Red Cross to provide services for the resident and their dog. Carrara said the area around Southeast Ratcliff Drive was closed around 9:30 a.m. while responders continued working at the scene. Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: madeleine@salemreporter.com. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Fire destroys south Salem home Monday, displacing resident and dog appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less