A passerby freed a dog that was trapped in a burning home Monday morning in Robeson Township, a fire chief said.
Neighbors discovered the fire in the two-story home on Church Street near in the village of Seyfert shortly after 8:30 a.m. The home is next to the parking lot of Seyfert Wesleyan Church along Route 724.
Someone alerted the passerby, believed to be a utility worker, of the fire, Chief Richard Fix of Gibraltar Fire Company said. A family of four resides there, but no one was home at the time.
The worker smashed a window, allowing the dog to escape. An engine crew from the Exeter Township Fire Department arrived first on the scene. The home was engulfed in fire, with flames shooting through part of the roof, he said.
“They hit it hard and were able to go inside and do an interior attack,” Fix said.
A second alarm was struck to draw additional crews. Available volunteer firefighter manpower is scarce around the time the workday is starting for many people, Fix explained.
The fire was declared under control within an hour.
Most crews left the scene by 10 a.m. when a state police fire marshal was beginning an investigation.
No one was injured.
While the cause hasn’t been determined, Fix said the source is suspected to be a heat lamp used for an iguana terrarium.
A damage estimate was unavailable.