NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect new information learned.
Multiple dogs died in a house fire in Cumbola Friday afternoon.
Firefighters were dispatched to 169 Market St. in the Blythe Township village after 1 p.m. Friday. Crews from Port Carbon, New Philadelphia, Kaska, Cumbola, Tuscarora, Middleport, Saint Clair, and Pottsville all responded to the call.
Heavy damage was sustained to the rear and interior of the home.
According to Blythe Township Fire Marshal Brian McMullin, “there is no number” on the amount of dogs that died but did say he observed more than two dead dogs in the home while walking through it with a State Police Fire Marshal.
According to Port Carbon Fire Chief Mike Welsh, who was in command at the scene, firefighters encountered heavy smoke near the back of the home upon their arrival. Neighbors, Welsh said, were yelling about dogs and cats in the building.
Welsh said the second floor of the home fell into the first during the fire fight.
McMullin said the debris from the second floor collapse made knowing how many dogs were inside during the fire an impossibility initially.
Firefighters were able to rescue some dogs from the building. They were given oxygen and food at the scene. McMullin added that neighbors rescued “a bunch” of dogs but wasn’t sure how many, exactly.
DEVELOPING STORY: We’ll have more information and update this post when information warrants.
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