Homeowner escapes, firefighters rescue pets from house fire

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) - A big fire Saturday night caused a lot of damage to the home at 14119 Sandstone Drive in the Bridgewater addition in southwest Allen County.

A firefighter said most of the damage is in the back of the house.

The call came in a little after 8 p.m. and it took fire crews around 25 minutes to get it under control. Crews were still on the scene cleaning up around 10:30 p.m.

The Aboite Township Fire Department chief told NewsChannel 15 that one person was home when the fire started, but escaped without any injuries. Firefighters were able to rescue all the pets from the home.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There were reports of an explosion and the chief said they think that was from a propane tank. But, he said that's not necessarily the cause of the fire.

At least six fire trucks were on the scene at one point. Crews from the Aboite Township Fire Department, Southwest Fire District, Arcola Fire Department and Jefferson Township Fire Department in Whitley County were there.

Andrew Jackson, 14, told NewsChannel 15 that he and some friends "saw the porch of the house explode into flames." They called 911 and rushed over to make sure everyone was okay.