A fire broke out in a Minburn home shortly before 11 a.m. Monday, apparently caused by a doghouse heater, according to witnesses. There were no injuries, but the blaze caused extensive damage to the house.
The Minburn Volunteer Fire Department responded to the emergency at 417 Eighth St. in Minburn and received mutual aid from Bouton, Dallas Center and Perry firefighters.
All occupants of the three-bedroom house, owned by Jim and Diane Cox, escaped unharmed by the blaze, which appeared to start near the southeast portion of the structure.
Phil Johnson of 724 Laurel St., the next door neighbor to the Coxes, said when he first saw smoke, it was coming from the dog house beside the garage.
Extensive damage was done to the two-car garage on the south end of the house, and firefighters sought to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the house.
Standing in Monday’s sleety rain and clutching a little lame dog, an occupant wept when he said two cats might still be inside the burning building. His concern seemed to be shared by the larger dog at his side, whose doghouse was possibly the scene of the blaze’s start.
ThePerryNews.com will update this story as information becomes available.
I am the owner of this house. My name is not Stonehocker, it is Cox. My husband’s name is not Dennis, it is Jim. We do not own a three-legged dog. She has all four legs. If you’re going to print a story, please get your information correct! Thank you kindly!
We deeply regret this unfortunate accident and hope everyone was safely accounted for in the end. We also regret any errors in our reports and thank you for bringing them to our attention. You and your family are in our prayers at this difficult time.