Several central-eastern Kentucky fire departments had to cooperate to extinguish a severe house fire in Clay City, according to an official with the Clay City Fire Department.Assisting the Clay City Fire Department on-scene was the Stanton Fire Department, Middle Fork Fire Department, Winchester Fire Department, Hargett Fire Department, Clay City EMS, Clark Energy, and Delta Gas.According to officials, it took firefighters several hours to extinguish the house fire on Main Street. Firefighters believe the fire started after the 80-year-old homeowner of the house used a grinder inside of the home, "causing the area to become hot enough to ignite." Reportedly, the homeowner initially refused to leave the home, but was eventually persuaded to safely exit by officers.While tackling any house fire can be hot and exhausting, Saturday's house fire was particularly hot, in combination with Kentucky's hot weather. According to officials a firefighter with the Stanton Fire Department suffered from heat exhaustion in the incident and was cared for by EMS on-scene.An excavator was eventually brought to the scene with permission of County Judge Eddie Barnes, which "saved firefighters hours of work and helped crews reach hot spots that would have otherwise taken much longer to get to." Photos from the incident reveal that much of the home had eventually collapsed by the end of the night.The house fire was finally extinguished around 10:45 p.m. Saturday, and the American Red Cross has been contacted to assist the homeowner impacted."The fire was intense, but every department worked side by side... No matter what, our teams stick together when it is time for a call," an official with the Clay City Fire Department said. ...read more read less