A local family has lost their residence — and their new puppy — after the Hurd Street home they were renting was completely destroyed by fire Sunday morning. Within 30 minutes of passersby seeing smoke emanating from the roof and neighbors calling 911, the house was engulfed in bright orange flames and a thick trail of black smoke was rising into the sky, according to neighbors. The family that lives in the house was not at home, and so no people were injured in the blaze, but the family’s new puppy, which they had for only one week, did not survive.

“In 10 minutes, flames were coming from the rear, front and both sides of the house,” said neighbor Janice Giardina, who lives across the street and called 911. “We knew they had a new puppy and we tried to get it out. … The Cazenovia Fire Department was here in 10 minutes, which is amazing for a volunteer fire department.”

According to Cazenovia Fire Chief Don Arnold, the department received the report of a structure fire at 8 Hurd St., at 10:28 a.m. “When I got here there was heavy smoke and flames rolling out the front door,” Arnold said. “Unfortunately, once it went, it went quick.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but it appears to have started at the back of the house in the kitchen, Arnold said.

A cell phone video of the blaze taken by an eyewitness, which was shared with the Cazenovia Republican, shows flames coming out of the house’s back door before any other flames are visible.

According to Arnold, fire crews were able to extinguish the bulk of the flames in 5 to 10 minutes of their arrival, and after 30 minutes on scene the fire was declared officially extinguished. None of the neighboring houses received any damage from the fire, Arnold said. Crews spent about two hours looking for and extinguishing any hot spots to make sure the fire does not reignite, he said.

Cazenovia fire crews received mutual aid assist from Morrisville, Erieville, New Woodstock, Manlius, Chittenango and Smithfield fire departments.

Fire investigators will now examine the scene and talk to the neighbors in an effort to determine the cause of the blaze, which will take a few days, Arnold said.

The house, which is owned by actress Siobhan Fallon Hogan and her husband, is being rented by a family that has only lived in Cazenovia for a short time, according to neighbors. The Fallons have been notified of the fire, Arnold said. The current renter of the house came home about two hours after the fire had started.

Eyewitness accounts

According to Hurd Street residents Giardina and Chip Hooley, both of whom were outside the morning of the fire, two people from out of town were walking down the street and were the first ones to see the smoke.

“They came up to me and said, ‘That house, we think it’s on fire,’” said Giardina, who then called 911.

Hooley said he and his wife knew the family living there had a new puppy and immediately rushed to the house. “We tried to get the dog out, but it was a futile attempt,” Hooley said. “My guess is that by the time we smelled the smoke the house was gone — it was just bright orange flames … and the smoke was so thick you could not see inside the house.”

The branches of the huge tree in the back yard overhanging the house turned black from the smoke rising in to the air, one neighbor pointed out.

Hurd Street neighbors unanimously said that Cazenovia fire crews arrived on scene within 10 minutes of the 911 call. A check of the fire department records shows fire crews arrived in six minutes.

“They did such a great job,” said one neighbor who asked not to be identified. “And all the volunteers were incredible.” Those volunteers included the firefighters, fire department auxiliary who brought water and food for the firefighters and street residents who helped as they could, some even rescuing a few items from the house and washing off the soot.

“It’s just so sad,” Giardina said — but simultaneously she found herself proud of her community and all the people who stepped up to help.

“Within 30 minutes [of the current occupant arriving on scene], someone from the Cazenovia Presbyterian Church came up and offered the family the use of the Manse that is currently not being used,” Giardina said. “It just makes me so aware of what makes Cazenovia so special.