A home in the town of Genoa was destroyed by fire Saturday morning, and Auburn firefighters later fought a blaze that heavily damaged a home in the city.

A four-alarm fire was reported in the Hamlet of Five Corners a little after 10 a.m. on Saturday, sending volunteer firefighters from King Ferry, Locke, Genoa, Aurora, Lansing and Moravia to try to save a two-story home located on Hill Road in Five Corners in the town of Genoa.

The home, owned by Dave and Lori Lucas, was totally engulfed by flames. No one was home at the time, although four cats and a dog were believed to have perished in the fire, according to Kris Becker, a friend of the Lucases for 20 years. Lori Lucas was at the scene surrounded by her friends and neighbors.

At 11:30 a.m. King Ferry Fire Chief Gerald Warner said that it would take about another three hours to put the fire out and another eight to 24 hours to investigate the cause of the fire.

The Lucases are employed at Cornell University, where they both work in the animal hospital. Lori is a veterinary technician. They have three children: Hillary, 21, a Wells College student who is studying abroad in Australia; Colleen, 18, a student at Hobart-William Smith, and Danny, 12.

Warner said that the Red Cross was called in to help the family. Becker, of Locke, and Brenda Doeing, of Genoa, said they would help the family with whatever they needed.

A short time later in Auburn, city firefighters responded to a fire call at 43 Grove Avenue shortly after noon when a passerby, Robert Weiman, saw smoke coming from the building. Neighbors living on Mary Street with adjacent back yards also noticed the fire.

No one was at home when the fire started.

Auburn Assistant Fire Chief Martin Corcoran and 15 firefighters were at the scene with three engines and a hook and ladder truck.

The fire damaged two stories at the rear of the home, rendering it uninhabitable. Corcoran said that fire department arson investigator Sam Giannnettino would be working to find the origin of the fire.

The two-story, three bedroom home, built in 1928, is owned by Vance and Bonnie Phillips. They reside there with their daughter, Wynter, 20, and two black labs, Gabriel and Striker.

Weiman rescued the dogs, and they were being looked after by neighbors.

Neighbors said Vance Phillips was in Syracuse Saturday morning, where he works at Sedgwick Interiors, and that his wife, Bonnie, is often not at home because of her commitment to the military at Fort Drum, where she is a recruitment officer for the Operation Warrior Trainer program for the 174th Infantry Brigade.