SAINT CLAIR - Several animals were saved from a burning home in the borough Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out about 10:20 a.m. at 207 N. Front St.
Kathy and Tom Wythe own the home and live there with their two adult children, Michael and Michelle. Michael was the only one home at the time and was asleep upstairs when the fire started in a rear room on the first floor. He was able to make it out of the home unharmed.
Borough Assistant Fire Chief Travis Rodrian said the fire is still being investigated, but its cause appears to be accidental.
Flames were shooting out of the back of the home and heavy smoke poured through the upstairs windows when emergency crews arrived at the scene. Rodrian said the blaze spread quickly upstairs and the roof had to be cut open before it was under control by 11:15 a.m., Rodrian said.
Manpower was the key to dousing the fire, he said.
"We had a good hit on the home early and we were able to keep guys refreshed," Rodrian said.
He said the home sustained heavy smoke and fire damage, and he was not sure if the family will ever be able to return to it.
Firefighters saved three beagles and two cats from the home.
"Trying to find animals with that much smoke is difficult," Rodrian said.
Three cats were still missing Wednesday and may have run from the scene.
Patty Hale, Saint Clair, is a close friend of the Wythe family and was one of the first people at the scene Wednesday.
"They are upset about the house, but their animals are everything to them," Hale said. "I think that them being OK will help with the healing process."
It was a close call for one of the beagles, who was not breathing when it was brought from the home.
Renee Wetzel, a medical technician and family friend working in Saint Clair at the time, used a firefighter's oxygen mask to get the dog breathing again. It was the first time she ever treated a dog but said treatment is the same for people.
"Apply oxygen, keep them wet and provide fluids," she said.
Milk was used in treating burns on the animals.
The Schuylkill County Animal Response Team was at the scene and some of the animals were sent to Schuylkill Veterinary Hospital, Pottsville, for further treatment.
Desiree Smith, a volunteer for West End Fire Company, Saint Clair, also helped with the animals. She is training to become a veterinary technician.
"We were fortunate to have the oxygen," she said. "It was a community effort. Everyone got into the effort."
Hale thanked everyone involved on behalf of the Wythe family.
"I thank all the fire companies and everyone who brought water and the people who helped with the animals," she said.