CENTER TWP — Thirty chickens perished this morning when their coop caught fire inside a Jamisonville Road home, authorities said.

Three people in the house were able to get out safely. A dog and several dozen other chickens also survived.

Quick-acting firefighters were able to put out the fire so that it was confined to the hen house.

The blaze, however, forced George Buchanan, his adult daughter and her adult son — who all live at the elevated ranch home — to spend the rest of the night at a hotel.

A lamp used to warm the chickens apparently overheated and sparked the small blaze, said Chief Greg Brewster of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Department.

The family was sleeping shortly before 3 a.m. when they were awakened by their barking dog. They discovered the fire in the coop that is housed within an enclosed porch.

Buchanan, who uses an oxygen tank, and the others got out and called 911.

Brewster arrived just after a fellow officer.

“I took a fire extinguisher and buckets of water,” he said.

A short time later, a fire truck got there with more water.

The fire was knocked down in no time, but the chickens died.

“It looked like they all died of smoke inhalation,” Brewster said.

As many as 50 other chickens in cages in the basement all appeared to be OK, fire officials said.