Pictured is the home of Richard and Valerie Anderson in rural Fults, which was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

A rural Monroe County couple escaped an early Thursday morning house fire with little more than the clothes on their backs.

“It’s a total loss,” Maeystown Fire Chief Lynden Prange said of the home of Richard and Valerie Anderson at 2560 Sutterville Road near Fults.

Flames broke out shortly after 1 a.m. inside the modular home, which is tucked behind trees and brush off the roadway.

Prange was the first fire official on scene.

“There was fire coming out of two windows and the roof when I got there, and it was fully engulfed about 10 minutes after my arrival,” he said.

The Andersons were already outside of the home upon his arrival, Prange said.

“They heard a popping noise and got out quickly,” he said. “They basically got out of there with the clothes on their backs.”

Firefighters entered the residence to battle the blaze at one point, but quickly retreated after the ceiling collapsed.

Maeystown firefighters received assistance at the scene from the Valmeyer and Prairie du Rocher fire departments. Firefighters remained there until about 4:30 a.m. Prange believes the cause of the fire was electrical in nature.

The Andersons are members of Hope Christian Church, which is offering assistance to the family along with House of Neighborly Service and the American Red Cross, Prange said.