Dog dies in fire that gutted Beaver County home

RACCOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Flames gutted a home in Raccoon Township, Beaver County, on Friday morning.

The fire broke out about 4:30 a.m. at the home on Maplehurst Drive.

When firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed.

"The fire was through the roof. The roof had collapsed over 50 percent of the home," said Matt Vinisky, assistant chief of the Raccoon Township Independent Volunteer Fire Department.

Initially, firefighters believed the man who lives in the home was inside, but they later learned he was not home. His dog, however, died.

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The bitter cold temperatures made the firefight more difficult.

"Ice is always an issue as this time of the year," Vinisky said. "Luckily, the township road crews put some anti-skid salt for us to make things less slippery."

A fire marshal said an exact cause of the fire has not been determined, but he doesn't believe it's suspicious. There were several space heaters in the home.

Cox Media Group