AMHERST
Amherst house fire takes the lives of four dogs
An unattended kitchen stove burner sparked a house fire that killed four dogs Wednesday morning at a home near the north campus of Erie Community College in Amherst.
Owner Louise Heckl was devastated by the death of the four pets, said a neighbor.
“She was very good with those dogs, there was always someone taking care of them if she went away,” said neighbor Bob Bugno. “But when she went to work, the dogs were alone. My wife called her to let her know about the fire.”
Combustibles on a nearby counter caught fire from the burner, which was set on low, and the blaze quickly moved throughout the house, Main-Transit Fire Chief Robert Karl said.
By the time firefighters arrived at 9 a. m., flames were shooting from the roof of the one-story house at 15 Bellingham Drive. Damage was estimated at $125,000.
The blaze was reported at 8:58 a. m., and by 9:15 it was extinguished, Karl said.
“Before we got here, smoke and flames were coming through the roof,” he said.
Heckl, a professional dog groomer, had left for work an hour earlier.
The chief said damage to the brick and clapboard home was extensive and made it uninhabitable. The structure’s roof collapsed around the chimney. No people were in the house but all four dogs perished, the chief said.
The dogs were two Jack Russell terriers, a poodle-type dog and a fourth dog that Heckl had recently adopted, according Bugno.
Harris Hill Fire Company, Snyder Fire Department, Amherst Police, Amherst Animal Control Officer Jim Connolly, Amherst Fire Inspector Tony Schueckler and Twin City Ambulance also responded.
The home is south of Main Street, between Youngs and Transit roads.
lmichel@buffnews.com">email:lmichel@buffnews.com
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