Firefighters battle a blaze that destroyed a house along Route 356 in Buffalo Township on Thursday night. Homeowners Edgar and Diane Turner managed to get out safely, authorities said.

BUFFALO TWP — The state police fire marshal's office is investigating a blaze that destroyed a home on Route 356 Thursday night.

A couple who lives at the two-story, wood-frame house — Edgar and Diane Turner — managed to get out safely, authorities said. Edgar Turner, however, apparently suffered the effects of smoke inhalation.

“He was choking and coughing and I think (rescuers) gave him some oxygen,” said Chief Chris Ballina of the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department.

A passing motorist spotted the fire about 7:45 p.m. and called 911. But by the time the first crews got there, flames were already shooting through the roof, said Chief Bill George of the Sarver Volunteer Fire Company.

The house sits at the end of a long, narrow driveway, which prevented many of the engines and other fire trucks from getting close. The home is across the road from Ekas Automotive & Sales.

Some 50 firefighters from at least a half dozen departments battled the blaze. Almost immediately, two attack crews were sent inside.

“We called them out later when were saw the beams at the north end of the building were separating,” Ballina said, “and we were concerned about a collapse.”

The interior attack eventually resumed while firefighters continued the defensive attack. During the fire, three different portions of the roof caved in.

It took about 45 minutes to get the fire under control. Firefighters used water from a nearby hydrant as well as compressed air foam.

“A lot of the house was saved but it's not livable,” Ballina said. Authorities said the structure would have to be torn down.

Ballina said he believed the fire was accidental and ignited in one of two attached garages.

“It looks like it started in the area of the breaker panel in the garage where there was a wood shop,” he said.

The fire quickly spread all the way to the attic.

Fire investigators at the state police barracks in Butler Township could not be reached for comment this morning.

Most of the firefighters, meanwhile, had little problem coping with the frigid temperatures. However, authorities called in a fire rehab truck, courtesy of the Pioneer Hose Company in Brackenridge, Allegheny County.

The truck is heated and can accommodate more than a dozen firefighters inside to get them warm and back on the scene.