A "massive" fire gutted a one-storey brick home Monday in Severn Township, Fire Chief Eric Dowell said.

"On arrival, (firefighters) found a fully involved structure fire," he said. "It had already breached and vented through the roof."

The blaze, on Gloucester Road, was called into the fire department at about 7 a.m.

"There was fire throughout the house, so we couldn't enter the structure," Dowell said. "We did strictly a defensive fight against this fire and just tried to keep it from taking the rest of the house."

Severn dispatched three of its fire halls and called in volunteers from Tay Township on mutual aid, bringing in manpower and a tanker.

The insurance company is estimating a $350,000 loss.

"It's a complete loss," Dowell said.

No one was home at the time of the blaze.

"They'd gone (to) work," Dowell said, adding they don't own pets.

The couple is now left with just the "clothes on their back," but their immediate needs have been taken care of, Dowell said.

"The insurance company will put them up, or if they've got family or friends in the area, they could stay with them," Dowell said. "They'll be looked after because they were insured."

The fire department and insurance company are jointly investigating the blaze.

"I don't have an origin and I don't have a cause at this time," Dowell said.

At this point, the cause is not considered suspicious.