RUSH TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Fire departments from Carbon and Schuylkill Counties battled a fire near Lake Hauto Wednesday morning while dealing with temperatures in the 20s.
"We were dispatched here at 8:49 this morning. The reporting parties said there were flames and smoke coming out of the roof. Myself, my partner, we were first on scene and we confirmed the working fire, with flames showing from the second floor on three sides of the house," said Rush Township Patrolman Robert Bechtel.
It all happened on Crescent Drive in Rush Township. According to investigators, the owners weren't home, and nobody was hurt while fighting the fire. Two pet ferrets in the basement did not survive.
"We did have an issue that we didn't know if anyone was inside but a little bit into the fire, we were able to confirm that no one was home at the time of the fire. The only living creatures that were home were two ferrets in the basement that, unfortunately, didn't make it," Ptlm. Bechtel said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials don't believe it's suspicious.