House fire near Hamburg Pavilion causes heavy damage

A two-story house near the shops at Hamburg Pavilion was heavily damaged in a fire Wednesday.

The fire on Healy Lane sent clouds of smoke into the air and flames were visible when firefighters arrived at 1:48 p.m.

One person in the house was treated at the scene for minor smoke inhalation, Assistant Chief Harold Hoskins said. There were no other injuries.

Two cats were rescued from the fire, according to the fire department. Firefighters used a special mask made for pets to give oxygen to one of the cats. Both were expected to be OK.

The two people who were home at the time of the fire were downstairs when they heard a noise, Hoskins said. They went outside to find the fire in the garage.

The damage appeared to be mostly contained to the garage area of the house and a room directly above it, Hoskins said. Firefighters looked for hot spots in the house after the initial blaze was extinguished and discovered some flames in the ceiling. There was little spread of the fire to other areas of the house.

The fire appears to have started inside the garage where a truck was parked and also damaged, but until an investigation is completed the fire department could not definitively say what caused the blaze, Hoskins said.

This story was originally published January 4, 2017 at 2:19 PM with the headline "House fire near Hamburg Pavilion causes heavy damage."