More than 20 firefighters from the Effingham County and Rincon fire departments battled a fire that consumed a two-story house off Sand Hill Road on Monday afternoon.

Three engine/tankers from Effingham County Fire and Rescue and one engine/tanker from Rincon Fire Department responded to the fire. The first units arrived on the scene around 1 p.m., said Lt. Walter Wright of Effingham Fire and Rescue, and nearly three-quarters of the house was in flames. A one-story section of the house was not yet fully involved, he said, but the two-story portion was heavily involved.

The house was about 1,000 feet off the road, so firefighters had to set up a line for a tanker shuttle.

"We realized we needed more water, so we brought in a second truck to set up a pond," Wright said.

Wright said he believes the house was not occupied at the time.