DEEP RUN, Ohio -- The worst possible circumstances were all present on New Year's morning at a major house fire in Belmont County.

A recovering stroke victim was alone in the house, plus there were icy roads, no fire hydrants, a long distance for help to travel and the flames were prompting ammunition in the house to explode.

The house belongs to Joseph Ross and his wife Jenny.

Joseph, in his 40s, and a veteran of the Iraq War who was just recovering from a stroke, was at home alone Friday morning when he awoke to flames all around him.

"He said he was sleeping and he woke up and there was fire around him and he got his dogs out; he was over there counting the dogs and he got them out," said Linda Irwin, Ross' mother-in-law.

Neighbors who are dear friends reportedly got Joseph out the door to safety.

"He did have some neighbors assist him from the residence as he's had prior medical problems," said Chief Ty Wilson of the Colerain Fire Department. "He was able to escape safely prior to our arrival."

The house on Meisenhelder Road, off Deep Run in rural Belmont County, was a quarter of a mile from any paved road, with few or no fire hydrants.

Belmont County's tanker task force activated, sending trucks and personnel from Martins Ferry, Sunset Heights, Wolfhurst, Colerain, Mt. Pleasant, Brookside, Spirit of 76, Bethesda, Dillonvale and Adena.

On a holiday morning, with surfaces freezing over and a long walk to get to the house, conditions were harsh.

"It did make it difficult," said Wilson, "both on the roadways to get here and with the firefighters working."

The hardships didn't end there.

Just as they started fighting the fire, they had fire of another kind to deal with.

"We heard some cracking and popping , and I said that wasn't glass, and I told the crew we'd better back out," said Lt. Marvin Husarik of the Brookside Fire Department. "I think there was some ammo in there, some small arms fire that we heard going off, and I said for our safety, I think we'd better back out for a while."

In the end, firefighters said the house was a total loss.

They called in the state fire marshal to determine the cause, although they said they do not believe it was foul play.

The veteran and his wife have lost all their possessions, but they say good friends and neighbors prevented this from being a complete tragedy.

"They're a good bunch of people, let me tell you," said Linda Irwin.

"There's a lot of support around here," noted Husarik. "And hopefully they can recover from this event."