Three dogs die in Sandy Township house fire

Fire departments responded to two house fires in southeastern Stark County on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday.

Three dogs died Tuesday from smoke inhalation in a fire at 7261 Waynesburg Drive SE in Sandy Township.

Mohawk Valley Fire Chief James Marraccini said firefighters removed the pets from the burning building.

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He said firefighters were notified about the fire at 7:54 p.m. by a person who drove to the fire station and said smoke was pouring from a house. Firefighters were at the firehouse, located about a mile away from the burning home, because they had just completed a training session.

"Within two minutes, we were there," Marraccini said.

He said firefighters found the house full of smoke. A neighbor said the resident was not home, but there were dogs inside.

"We were able to get all three of the dogs out but they all succumbed to the smoke," Marraccini said.

The fire chief said firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading and extinguished it within 16 minutes of being told about it. The fire started in the living room close to the front door, he said. The cause remained under investigation Wednesday morning.

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Marraccini estimated the value of damage to the structure and contents at $30,000.

Records of the Stark County Auditor's Office indicate the single-story house built in 1952 had an appraised value of $61,700.

Mutual aid for the Sandy Township fire came from the Canton Township, Osnaburg Township, Great Trail and Magnolia fire departments, plus Quad Ambulance.

Firefighters remained until around 10:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, the East Sparta Fire Department responded to a house fire at 12:43 a.m. at 9277 Oak Ave. SE.

"Upon arrival, the residence was fully involved," the fire department said on its Facebook page. "Due to a renovation, no residents and/or pets were on property."

The fire was extinguished and an investigation continues.

The department's social media post thanked other departments for their assistance. Mohawk Valley was among them.

Marraccini said the response to both fires was evidence that "a lot of different departments from different areas can work very well together. Whether it's an emergency situation or not, it's very fulfilling and good to know that everyone really can really work well together."

Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Dogs die in Sandy Township fire, resident not home at the time