House fire claims lives of pets

PRINCETON — The investigation continues into a Friday afternoon house fire in Princeton which resulted in injury to one person, the death of seven pets, and extensive damage to the house.

On Monday, Princeton Fire Chief John Petrakis said one male occupying the 430 S. Pleasant St. house at the time of the fire was evaluated at the scene for suspected smoke inhalation and later transported to Perry Memorial Hospital by the Putnam County EMS unit. The male was the only occupant in the home at the time of the fire. Seven cats were also in the house at the time of the fire and perished as a result of the incident, the fire chief said.

The cause of the fire is listed as undetermined at this time but appears to be accidental in nature, Petrakis said. The room of origin for the fire is presumed to be a bedroom on the south side of the house. The estimated damage to the single-family dwelling and its contents has been valued at $30,000. The house was owned and occupied by Doris Townsend.

In giving details of the fire call, Petrakis said the Princeton Fire Department was dispatched at 1:20 p.m. Friday for a structure fire at 430 S. Pleasant St. Upon arrival, firefighters found a single-story residence with obvious fire and smoke showing from the south side of the house. At that time, Princeton Fire Department officials escalated the alarm assignment to summon mutual aid from MABAS Division 57 affiliates.

Frefighters gained access to the east side end of the residence, reporting totally obscured smoke conditions on the first floor of the building and intense fire and smoke in the area of the southwest portion of the house. Crews used a single hose line to bring the fire under control, with an additional hose line deployed for suppression assistance.

Fire control was achieved at about 2:23 p.m. with fire, heat and water damage obvious throughout the home and to all of the contents of the house, Petrakis said. There were no injuries to firefighters.

Fire crews remained on the scene, conducting an inspection of the fire's suspected room of origin, adjacent rooms and void spaces to ensure the fire did not expand beyond the suspected room of origin. The fire was extinguished by about 3 p.m.