OCALA, Fla. – Two people were injured and a family dog died in a burning home early Thursday in Ocala, according to the city.
Ocala firefighters responded around 1 a.m. to the 2300 block of SW Fourth Street, where a concerned neighbor had called to report the fire, the city said in a news release.
A police officer already at the scene reported the home was fully engulfed and that one resident suffered burn injuries, the release states, adding the officer had helped the injured resident get away from the fire and began using a garden hose to help control the flames.
Arriving fire crews observed fire pouring out of a living-room window and made contact with a second resident who also made it outside, the city said.
The residents alerted firefighters that their dog was still inside the home as crews worked quickly to knock the flames down, doing so within about seven minutes of their arrival, according to the release.
Both residents were hospitalized due to burns and smoke inhalation, the release states. Despite not suffering burns, their dog perished during the incident, firefighters said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by Ocala Fire Rescue’s Prevention Division, according to the release.