The Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center confirmed that the fire was reported in the 1100 block of Carlisle Avenue at 3:13 p.m.
Judge said that crews arrived to find heavy fire on the porch that was extending to the rest of the home.
He said that the fire was made worse by gusty winds, saying that wind “gives the fire a lot of oxygen to take off pretty quickly.” He added that the house was an older construction and had a lot of void spaces, so firefighters had to chase the fire around.
The fire was under control in about 20 minutes, the district chief said.
One of four people who live at the house was home at the time, but got out successfully when they noticed smoke rolling into the house, Judge said.
There were also two dogs and cats that lived at the house, and firefighters were able to retrieve both dogs and one of the cats. Judge said that the second cat is still unaccounted for, and there is a chance that it made it out of the house on its own.
The Red Cross was on scene to help the family find somewhere to stay, he added.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but seems to have started on the porch, Judge said. Investigators were requested to the scene to try to determine what started the fire.
Judge said that he didn’t have an estimate of the damage, but that the house was not a total loss.
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