Five occupants escaped alive the Father’s Day house fire on north First Avenue Sunday morning, but a dog is feared to have died in the blaze, according to a Perry Volunteer Fire Department spokesperson.
The Perry Volunteer Fire Department was paged to the fire at 2514 First Ave. about 4:45 a.m. The house was fully engulfed by the flames when firefighters arrived.
“The house was pretty much gone by the time we got there,” said Perry Volunteer Fire Department First Assistant Chief Brian Eiteman. “It was still standing, but a lot had already fallen into the basement, and the roof collapsed right after we got there.”
Eiteman said the occupants told him they awoke to the sound of the smoke detector and found the ground floor already filled with smoke. One elderly occupant in an upper room was alerted as well as two occupants in the basement, and all escaped unharmed except for minor injuries.
A pet canine was reported missing, Eiteman said, and the owners were seeking him in the area while fearing he might have been a victim of the fire.
Nearby neighbors reported hearing shouts and commotion coming from the vicinity of the house at about 5:30 a.m. and continuing as the house was rapidly consumed.
Eiteman said the firefighters acted to protect nearby outbuildings but did not enter the burning structure.
“We’re not going to risk our guys going in there for nothing,” he said. “Once we determined everyone was out, we just let it burn.”
The 99-year-old, 1,200-square-foot house is owned by Neva Ruth Davisson of Bakersfield, California, and under a contract purchase by Jason and Lisa Ward of Perry, according to county records.
The Perry Police Department, Perry First Responders and Dallas County EMS also responded.
