HARMONY — A Monday morning fire destroyed the upstairs of an Edward Lane home.

The fire started at 10:10 a.m. in the upstairs portion of the home in the attic.

One of the home’s residents, Mason Thomas, 19, and one of his friends were there when the fire started.

“We looked around and saw the upstairs filling with smoke,” Thomas said.

They immediately took the family’s dog, Mickey, and got out of the home. A cat in the home’s attic escaped unharmed.

“We came out and saw flames at the very top on the left side,” said Thomas, who lives with his brother, Nicholas, and father, James. “From there, it just got worse and worse.”

Several fire crews battled the blaze in difficult conditions.

“The fire was on the second floor in the attic, and we had limited access,” said Brian Dambaugh, assistant fire chief for the Harmony Fire District.

Dambaugh said an issue arose involving the Butler County 911 Center.

“We didn’t have enough (fire) companies on the first alarm,” Dambaugh said. “We’re looking into why that was. Aside from that, everything was fine.”

Steve Bicehouse, county emergency services director, said there are “slight” delays in dispatching fire companies from outside of Butler County.

Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department and Big Knob Fire and Rescue out of Beaver County also were dispatched.

“We do not have the ability to direct and dispatch departments that are outside our county,” Bicehouse said. “Those are things we are working on and always try to improve upon.”

There were no delays however with fire departments being at the home. The Harmony Fire District and Evans City Volunteer Fire Department engines were the first ones at the house shortly after the 911 call was made.

Bicehouse said emergency services is working toward developing a multicounty solution for its computer-aided dispatch system.

Flames started to catch leaves on a tree near the home on fire. However, firefighters contained the fire to the house.

Holes were punctured into the home’s roof for ventilation. From there, firefighters sprayed water into the home.

While this was occurring, one volunteer firefighter slipped and nearly fell off the sloped roof. He was uninjured.

The fire was put out about 11:40 a.m. However as firefighters conducted their investigation, the fire rekindled about 12:10 p.m. and was immediately put out.

Dambaugh said while the upstairs is a total loss from fire and water damage, some of the downstairs furnishings may be salvageable.

Next-door neighbor Buck Majors made the call to 911. He said it is the first fire he has seen at the home since he moved to the area about 60 years ago.

“We were sitting on the porch and noticed smoke. Then we saw the boys running out,” Majors said. “It’s a shame. It’s an old house.”

James Thomas said he and the family will live with his girlfriend in Zelienople for the time being.

The family said the cause of the fire may have been electrical. A Penn Power employee was there to cut off the home’s electricity.

Dambaugh said while that is a possibility, the official cause has yet to be determined.

Other fire companies at the scene included the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company and the Callery and Portersville volunteer fire departments.

Harmony EMS and Jackson Township Police Department also assisted.