Firefighters battle a fire that destroyed a home at 120 School St. in Bruin on Monday night. The blaze left a family of five, including a 4-month-old girl, homeless. No injuries were reported. It was the second fire at the home in a week.

BRUIN — A Karns City Area School District custodian's family of five, including a 4-month-old girl, is without their home of 20 years after the two-story structure caught fire Monday evening for the second time in a week.

The home was a total loss. No one was injured.

Trucks from 12 departments across four counties responded.

Jaclyn Rowe, 28, and her 20-year-old sister were home with Jaclyn's 4-month-old daughter, Isabelle, when they smelled smoke coming from the front of the house.

“I grabbed what baby stuff I could and ran out,” said Rowe. Along with the baby items, the women also grabbed the family's two dachshunds, Gizmo and Pebbles, and their cat, Mika, but they had to leave two pet ball pythons in the home as they escaped.

Dan Rowe, 59, was at work at Karns City Area School District when his daughter called to inform him of the fire, which started around 4:45 p.m.

“She's sure she's lost everything,” said Dan Rowe, 59. “But my family is safe, that is all that matters”

Bruin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Eric Feicht echoed that sentiment, saying that the home was a total loss.

“It took about 30 minutes after crews arrived to get the main fire under control,” said Feicht.

“The fire was heavily involved in the second sector, upstairs,” Feicht said. “Access to the interior was limited by the renter's belongings.”

Due to limited access, crews had to spray the interior of the entire home, especially the second floor.“We have to go through it all or else it will burn all night,” said Feicht.In a stroke of luck, two pets were pulled from the fire. Around 7 p.m. firefighters exited the shell of the home and handed off two pythons, Bodan and Marley, that the family thought had perished in the fire.While one wrapped itself around Jaclyn's fingers, the other found warmth from the chilly night in Dan's sweat shirt.The cause of the fire was unknown as of 7 p.m., and Feicht said they were waiting for a fire marshal to arrive before they got more aggressive with finishing off the fire.Over the course of the evening, firefighters traversed the roof, removed trim, smashed through scorched siding and roofing, and sprayed water and Class A foam to keep the fire under control.Seven crews initially responded, according to Feicht, but additional departments were called in to help.The Bruin, Chicora, Unionville, Eau Claire, Parker Township and North Washington volunteer fire departments from Butler County along with departments from nearby counties, including Sugarcreek, Emlenton and East Brady, responded.Dan Rowe says he has renter's insurance and he believes his landlord has insurance. Authorities were attempting to notify the landlord.The family says they have a friend they can stay with, but Dan Rowe says the road ahead is going to be tough for his family.“I used my last two vacation days for a small fire with a paper shredder in my home (Jan. 6). Now everything is gone,” Dan Rowe said. “It's going to be a real hardship, but I need to take care of my family.”

A firefighter removes his mask after working alongside crews from 12 departments to fight a fire that destroyed a home at 120 School St. in Bruin on Monday night.