A two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon left a DeKalb family without a home for the holidays.

From the scene, the fire appeared to travel from the basement and up the back wall of the home, to the attic. A report from the DeKalb Fire Department was not available at press time.

The fire started around 4:10 p.m. at 1602 Sleepy Hollow Lane.

As the flames reached the attic, firefighters were forced to withdraw from the house because of safety concerns.

Emergency units from eight area communities, including Sycamore and Cortland, responded to the location.

Bill Ryder, owner of the home, said no one was home when the fire erupted, but the family’s pet dog died in the fire.

“They called me at the office and told me about it,” Ryder said.

Although the house was lost, he was glad that no one was hurt.

“Everybody’s healthy and there was nobody home & that’s what’s important,” Ryder said.