A couple whose historic St. Paul home was recently devastated by a fire plans to restore the Cathedral Hill residence, their daughter said Thursday.

A fire investigator was unable to determine the cause of the blaze at the Lasher-Newel House at 251 Dayton Ave. The three-story home was built in 1864.

Maris and Norma Purmalietis bought the home in 1975 and raised their children there.

“They really poured all their heart and soul into the house for the last 42 years, and it’s really a significant loss,” said Alida Purmalietis, the couple’s daughter. They also recognize the home’s value to the community and know “as the owner of an old home, you really are a steward of the home so it does carry on as part of the community,” she said.

Firefighters were called to the house at 11:35 a.m. Oct. 10. The Purmalietises, who are in their 70s, barely made it out, and their two Siamese cats perished in the fire, their daughter said.

The fire began on the second floor in a room used for storage, and extended to the third floor and roof, according to a fire department report. Extensive fire damage caused the roof to collapse, along with the second and third floors in that part of the home.

A fire investigator wrote that he was “unable to eliminate smoking or electrical as possible fire causes,” but he noted it was “most probable accidental” in his finding of “undetermined.”

The fire department estimated damage at $300,000, but Purmalietis said the amount is “far, far higher.”

“We’re trying to bring it back to the way it was originally, and all we can do is take as far as the insurance will pay,” Norma Purmalietis said.

Alida Purmalietis said her parents are “trying to get creative and talk to historians about options for funding it.”

The couple has hired MacDonald & Mack Architects, a Minneapolis-based firm specializing in historic preservation, to handle the restoration.

Despite the amount of damage to the house, “miraculously, quite a bit of the ornate woodwork inside wasn’t irreparably damaged,” Alida Purmalietis said.

Maris and Norma Purmalietis have been staying at an apartment near their house, so they’ll be able to oversee the restoration. And despite losing nearly all their possessions in the fire, they’ve been heartened by the compassion of their neighbors, their daughter said.

“They are very strong people and quite resilient,” Alida Purmalietis said. “They have given so much in the past, and their generosity is one of the reasons people have come forward to help and hoped for the best for them.”