3 firefighters injured at West Chester fire

Three firefighters and a female resident were injured and a dog died in an early morning West Chester house fire at 6668 Apache Way, fire officials said.

One firefighters suffered a serious but non-life threatening injury when he tripped in the dark on side lawn while hauling a 300-pound hose, West Chester Township Fire Capt. Kelly Mayer said.

He was taken to West Chester Hospital, treated and released.

Two others suffered heat exhaustion and were treated on scene.

Concerned neighbors gathered in the street and were relieved to learn everyone would recover.

"I am upset a firefighter got hurt. I hope he is OK. They put their lives in harm's way everyday," said Bob Witmer, 69, as he stood across the street, watching fire crews clean up the scene.

A female renter of the home who has asthma was given oxygen in an ambulance and then taken to the hospital as a precaution, her relatives said.

She called 911 about 4 a.m. after fire smoldered for a while inside her garage and then eventually spread to the house, Mayer said.

The smoke detector went off and woke her.

She told a dispatcher she tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher as it consumed her car in the garage, but the blaze grew too hot.

"Oh, my God, it's bad," she said, according to a recording of the call. "The whole house is on fire now and I can't find my other dog."

Two pit bulls named Blue and Duce were inside the home. Blue made it out, but Duce died, relatives said.

Fire crews were able to contain most of the damage to the garage, but overall damage was still set at $100,000, Mayer said.

The cause remains under investigation.