A fire that destroyed a house in Caledonia and damaged two others is being blamed on an unattended deep fryer.

The fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, at a home on Claymore Crescent.

According to Haldimand County OPP, the homeowner was using a deep fryer on the home’s back deck. After leaving it unattended for a few minutes, he returned to find flames.

While everybody inside the house was able to make it to safety, the house itself was destroyed.

Caledonia fire

A house next door was heavily damaged, while the house on the other side received less significant damage.

In total, damage is estimated at $750,000.

With reporting by Marc Venema