GUILDERLAND — Fourteen crews responded to a Tuesday-night fire at a home at 3935 Western Turnpike, between Settles Hill and Dunnsville roads, but they were hampered by having no ready access to water, and had to set up a system for shuttling water from trucks to the scene.

The back of the house is “pretty much gone,” as is the roof, said Altamont Fire Chief Paul Miller, but the house “should be salvageable.” (Related photo gallery).

There were no injuries. The home is owned by Tom and Sally Ketchum, well known locally as long-time former owners of Ketchum’s gas station and convenience store in Altamont and more recently for rescuing the old Chuck Wagon Diner from the Midwest and restoring it to its former 1950s’ glory, on Route 20 in Duanesburg.

Miller said the Ketchums got out safely and believes they are staying at another of their properties.

There were also two pet cats in the house, he said. One was located, “but we can’t find the other,” he said, adding, “I think the other one is hiding somewhere.”

The call came in at 10:42 p.m., as a microwave fire. “We got there eight minutes later,” Miller said, “but it had a pretty good head start on us.”

The house — an old, three-story farmhouse — was all-wood construction with a balloon frame, which meant, Miller said, that the fire “got into the walls and went right up into the attic.”

When firefighters arrived, one room and its contents were involved, and the fire was starting to go through the roof, Miller said.

Firefighters had no water at first, “because there are no hydrants up there” and the home had no emergency pond.

Ten of the responding crews were set to the task of “shuttling water for us,” Miller said. He noted that they used the couple’s swimming pool “for some water.”

Miller said that a malfunctioning microwave did seem to be the cause. “That’s what investigators are telling me,” he said.

County assessment rolls list 3935 Western Tpke. as having a full market value of $137,045.