CENTER TWP — A man suffered minor burns and possible smoke inhalation Monday night after his house — brimming with hoarded belongings — caught fire, authorities said.

The occupant, whose name was not immediately available, was able to escape with his dog about 8 p.m. before the blaze quickly overtook the two-story house at 221 Unionville Road in Center Township.

Believed to be in his late-40s, he was taken by ambulance to Butler Memorial Hospital. His condition was not known.

Dozens of firefighters from more than 10 departments battled the blaze for about two hours but the cluttered house, still standing, was destroyed.

Crews left around midnight but they had to return about 4:30 a.m. today when the fire rekindled, this time finishing off the house, which had to be ripped apart with a backhoe.

The state police fire marshal is investigating but the blaze was believed to be accidental, said Nathan Wulff, chief of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Department.

The house, owned by Lloyd Ifft, according to the Butler County Assessment Office, was not believed to be insured, authorities said.

The resident told investigators that the fire started in his bedroom, where he was using an electric space heater.

“He said he started smelling smoke,” Wulff said, “and he got out of there as quick as he could.”

Some of the man's hair was singed and he apparently had minor burns, possibly to his neck. Officials believe he also inhaled smoke as he made his way out.

Wulff was first to get there and found flames throughout the front of the house, on both floors, leaving crews to fight the fire from outside.

A “hoarder-style situation,” Wulff said, was fueling the deep-seated fire.

Crews said the home, constructed with vinyl siding and Styrofoam insulation, was packed with debris including piles of clothing, boxes of newspapers and magazines, bed frames and mattresses.

At peak, about 50 firefighters helped battle the blaze, which was under control in about an hour. But of blocked entryways made it difficult to get inside the house.

Assisting the Unionville VFD were firefighters from Prospect, West Sunbury, Slippery Rock, Mercer Road, Butler Township Fire District 3, Chicora, Portersville, Lick Hill, Oneida Valley and Harrisville.