A senior couple in Bayview lost the home they designed and built themselves to a raging early morning blaze Thursday.

Firefighters were called out at 3:30 a.m. on a fully involved structure fire at 33643 Spruce St.

The residents of the home, Roy and Bertha Clanton, awoke to sounds coming from a shop and garage in the rear of their property and noticed smoke seeping through the windows of their home.

They then saw a red glow from the flames.

"It was probably burning for quite a while before they were aware of it," said Jim Lyon, fire inspector for the Timberlake Fire Protection District.

The Clantons called 911 and exited with their two dogs, all escaping unhurt.

Arriving firefighting crews found the home, its attached garage, the large shop and garage in back, and a smaller shed also in the rear of the home on fire with flames climbing into nearby trees.

Although they had smoke detectors in the home, they weren't triggered from the smoke coming in through the windows, Lyon said.

He said the blaze was possibly caused by an electrical problem near an electrical panel and water heater, but the cause remains undetermined. The couple's insurance company will do a separate investigation.

Several vehicles and at least two boats were destroyed in the incident.

"It was an extremely hot fire," Lyon said. "The boats were almost unrecognizable. You wouldn't even know there were boats there."

The boats were 22 and 14 feet in length.

Due to the dangerous conditions and potential for collapse, an excavator was called in to assist in removing the remaining metal roof.

No firefighters were injured battling the flames.

Timberlake Fire maintained a fire watch on the property throughout the day to ensure the flames didn't rekindle, Lyon said.

Crews from Coeur d'Alene, Spirit Lake, Sagle, Northern Lakes Fire District, and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue were called out to battle the blaze with Timberlake Fire.

The American Red Cross was called and arrived within an hour to offer assistance to the Clantons.

Due to several offers and help from neighbors and arriving family members, the Clantons chose not to take advantage of the Red Cross help.