Crews battle blaze at home in Westmoreland City

Crews were called to a house fire in Westmoreland City on Tuesday.

The call for the blaze at Fourth and Broadway streets went out just before 2 p.m. When crews arrived, they found the backside of the house engulfed in flames. 

Neighbors said they were the first to spot this fire, and several people rushed to the house and alerted the person home at the time. Luckily, the fire department was also close by, as the fire house is next door. 

"Literally right next door," Westmoreland City Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Doshen said. "It didn't take us long to get here. We pulled in, got our lines off. We attacked it from the interior to the exterior."

Doshen went on to say that while he doesn't feel the house is a total loss, he said it will need significant work to restore it.

Everyone made it out, but one of the homeowners said that two of their four cats were unaccounted for. The dog that lived in the house, Lucy, was rescued from under the shed and reunited with her owners shortly after crews arrived. 

Tom Marcius said that this house was his father's, and his daughter and her family took it over when he died. He said he is just grateful that everyone is safe.

"Kinda shook," Marcius said. "On the borderline of being mad and starting to cry, you know? But what are you going to do?"

Right now, it is not known what caused the blaze, but the fire marshal is investigating.