A Vandergrift man and his dog are homeless after a fire gutted their home Monday morning.
Neither the man, his pet nor any firefighters were reported to have been injured. Fire officials could not immediately identify the resident.
The fire, reported shortly before 10 a.m., destroyed the home at 106 1⁄2 Longfellow St.
Vandergrift Fire Chief Steve Potoka said the fire started on the second floor before burning through the roof.
At one point fire crews were ordered to evacuate the home because officials feared it might collapse.
The blaze appeared to be out several times, only to reignite when the wind picked up.
The home is situated along 26th Alley, and crews had to navigate that narrow street to reach the burning single-family house.
To complicate matters, a portion of Longfellow Street is under construction, and fire trucks had to find alternate routes to access that street.
The construction is to replace small waterlines that have caused problems with previous fires in the area because they could not supply enough water for firefighting equipment.
Potoka said water was not an issue with this fire, but he called in extra tanker trucks as a precaution.
Matthew Medsger is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4675, mmedsger@tribweb.com, or on Twitter @matthew_medsger.
