WOODSTOCK – Fire destroyed the Route 26 home of Roy and Linda Buck Thursday, leaving five people homeless.

The Bucks, their daughter and granddaughter, and a family friend were all living in the single-family home across from the ball field just north of Bryant Pond Village.

They were being provided emergency shelter and clothing late Thursday by the United Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.

It took firefighters about a half-hour to knock down the fire, and although the garage was spared, the house was a total loss. Firefighters climbed on the roof and trained hoses through a second-story window to reach the eaves, and used a thermal imaging camera to check for any remaining hot spots.

Woodstock Fire Chief Geffrey Inman wouldn’t speculate on the cause of the fire, and said he was calling in the state fire marshal’s office to investigate.

The fire was reported at 1:08 p.m. by one of the family members, Inman said. Tri-Town Rescue Service stood by to provide help to the family if necessary.

Firefighters set up equipment in the middle of Route 26 to fight the fire. Traffic was rerouted for several hours to Route 232 and Gore Road to bypass Bryant Pond Village.

About 35 firefighters from Woodstock, Greenwood, Bethel, Sumner and Paris responded to the scene.

It was not immediately known whether the family had insurance on the home.

Douglas Hoyt, executive director of the Red Cross’s United Valley Chapter, said October has “marked the start of the fire season,” with the chapter responding to a total of eight fires involving 24 families and 36 individuals.

This week alone, a Hartford family lost its home to a fire on Tuesday, a woman lost her home in Norway on Wednesday, and an Otisfield man lost his home Wednesday evening.