3 dogs die in Rock Hill house fire

Three dogs died and two residents were displaced after an overnight fire at a Rock Hill home, officials said Friday.

The fire broke out about 3 a.m. in the back of a home at 549 State Street Extension, according to Deputy Chief Mark Simmons of the Rock Hill Fire Department. The back porch and kitchen had about $30,000 in damage, and there was smoke damage throughout the home.

It took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the blaze under control, Simmons said. An investigator was unable to determine if the fire was suspicious, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Rock Hill Police Department responded to the home after the fire broke out.

Officers saw three dead dogs, two living dogs that were being handled by the owners and a flat-screen television on the front lawn, according to a police report. The two occupants told officers they were asleep when the fire broke out, and that they had six dogs on the back porch and two dogs inside the home.

The home’s occupants declined assistance from the American Red Cross and said they would stay with family, Simmons said.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 10:15 AM with the headline "3 dogs die in Rock Hill house fire."