Volunteer fire crews battle a blaze Tuesday night that destroyed a house on Route 268 in Hovey Township, Armstrong County near the Butler County line. There was no one in the home but at least three cats perished. The state police fire marshal is investigating but the cause remains undetermined.

The state police fire marshal is investigating a Tuesday evening blaze that destroyed a single-story house in northwestern Armstrong County near the Butler County line.

There was no one home at the time, according to fire officials, but at least three cats perished in the fire in Hovey Township.

Trooper DuWayne Baird, a fire marshal, said Wednesday the cause was not immediately known.

A passing motorist about 7 p.m. saw smoke coming from the house on Route 268 and notified 911. The half cement block/half wood frame home sits along the Allegheny River, just two miles from the Emlenton fire station.

It took just minutes for firefighters to get there but the fire had already taken hold.

Assisting the Emlenton VFD were firefighters from Bruin and Eau Claire in Butler County, Clintonville and Seneca in Venango County, and Parker, St. Petersburg, Knox and Perry Township in Clarion County.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Thursday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.