HAZLE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Firefighters rescued two dogs from a fire in Hazle Township on Friday.
One of the two dogs rescued from the home near Drifton was named Max.
"I'm really happy that he was out," friend of the homeowner Emily Hardy said. "I've seen him since he was a puppy. So, I'm happy about it."
Firefighters said the fire started at the back of the house where the kitchen is.
No one was home when the fire started. Firefighters said the neighbor who lives in the house attached to where the fire started made it out safely. People who saw the flames were immediately concerned about the dogs inside.
"We stopped, saw the dog in the fence tried getting him out," Beth Arnold of Drifton said. "He ran under the porch. We couldn't get him, but another neighbor got the other dog out. We were scared. We were glad to find out there was nobody home.
There were two other dogs besides Max inside the house. One of them is named Ash.
Firefighters said it was a challenging trying to get those dogs to safety.
"That dog did suffer some inhalation and also there were some superficial burns to the top of its chest," Hazle Township Fire Chief Scott Kostician said.
Sadly, a third dog, named Bear, passed away inside.
"The other dog, we did find in the kitchen area," Chief Kostician said. "It succumbed to the heat and the smoke in the fire."
The two people who live in the home lost pretty much everything and a dog. The people on the other side of the home had a lot of damage too. Friends are relieved the fire was not worse.
A fire marshal is investigating what caused the fire. Both dogs who survived were taken to veterinary hospitals. The Red Cross will assist the three people who lost their homes in this fire.