Monessen home destroyed in early morning fire

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Firefighters from numerous area departments battled a fire early Thursday morning that destroyed a Monessen home.

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Courtesy of Monessen Fire Department An early Thursday morning fire destroyed this home on Pacific Boulevard in Monessen.

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An early morning fire destroyed a Monessen home Thursday.

The fire at 177 Pacific Ave. was reported just before 1 a.m.

Delmar Hepple, Monessen fire chief, lives nearby and said he was able to respond quickly; however, the fire was already heavy and spreading.

“We evacuated the homes on both sides of the structure because of the amount of fire,” Hepple said.

Siding on one of the homes melted, but there was no other damage to them, he said.

While multiple calls reported possible entrapment, Hepple said there was no one in the home. A dog that was inside was able to escape. Firefighters tried to help a cat that was in the home by using a pet oxygen mask, but the animal died.

Hepple said the fire was accidental in nature.

“It was probably electrical, in the back porch area,” he said.

Fire departments that joined Monessen No. 1 on the scene included Monessen No. 2 (Hilltop), Charleroi, Carroll Township, Rostraver, Collinsburg and Bentleyville’s Rapid Intervention Team. Mon Valley Emergency Medical Services also responded.