Man and dog die in house fire in Arnold
ARNOLD, Pa. (KDKA) -- A man and a dog have died in an early morning house fire in Westmoreland County.
The fire broke out just after 3 a.m. on Thursday along Woodmont Avenue in Arnold.
Fire officials said 54-year-old Frank Cable was found by the door of the home.
"Just awful, you know. Just plain awful," said neighbor Joyce Gaudy.
Cable's neighbors said they can't believe he and his dog are both gone. They died early Thursday morning when flames swept through Cable's apartment on Woodmont Avenue in Arnold.
"Every day, he's always playing with his dog and taking his dog for a walk, and he did anything for anybody, always helpful and stuff like that. He was a great guy," Gaudy said.
Gaudy has lived next door to Cable for several years. She said Cable was a veteran who was very loved in the community.
"He belonged up at the Eagles, they just loved him there. He did a lot of stuff up there for them. I'm just shocked by it," Gaudy said.
Brian Gouza, fire chief of Arnold Volunteer Fire Company #1, said most of the fire was in the back of the structure and caused the inside to fall apart, which posed some challenges for his crew.
"There was some structure compromise initially, so it made it hard to get to some of the hot spots because the ceilings were coming down in between floors, making it stubborn," Chief Gouza said.
Some damage is visible from the outside, but the inside is destroyed. Gouza said the structure is a total loss.
Eventually, firefighters cleared the scene and left neighbors to console one another.
"(I) just will remember he was a happy-go-lucky guy," Gaudy said.
She said another person lived in one of the other units, but she believes that person left the night before because there was no power in the units for some reason.
The Arnold Police Department and State Police Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the fire.
