Fire destroyed a storage room this morning at a South Delaware Drive home in Lower Mount Bethel Township, and smoke and water damaged significant portions of the two-story home.

The fire at 5764 S. Delaware Drive broke out at about 10 o'clock, said Jeff Larrison, chief of the Sandt's Eddy Fire Co. The fire is believed to have started in a rear addition to the home, which the homeowners use for storage, he said.

The two elderly homeowners were home at the time of the fire, but both were outside by the time firefighters arrived, Larrison said. Flames were visible when firefighters arrived, he said.

Firefighters initially had difficulty getting to the fire because a large section of the storage room floor was missing, but the fire was knocked down quickly, Larrison said. Firefighters had to vent the roof and knock out the glass in a number of second-floor windows to get the smoke out.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, Larrison said. The home is directly across from the Riverside Barr & Grill.

South Delaware Drive, which also is Route 611, was shut down between Howell and Lower Mud Run roads so the fire trucks could set up at the scene. The road was still shut down as of 11:30 this morning.

Portland, Washington Township and Forks Township fire departments assisted.