Photo Provided The remains of a house stand along Bakers Road in Hopedale following a fire Tuesday morning. Though the homeowner and a dog were able to escape unharmed, two cats were killed in the blaze.

HOPEDALE — A homeowner was able to escape their burning house unharmed along with a dog Tuesday, but two cats died in the blaze.

A fire was reported at 9:52 a.m. Tuesday at 700 Bakers Road in Hopedale. Fire Chief Mark Marchetta said the homeowner was inside the home when the blaze broke out. Apparently, they came out of the bathroom, saw flames and quickly exited the home before calling 911.

Marchetta said the house is less than a half mile away from the fire station, allowing for a quick response time. He said firefighters were on scene in less than four minutes from the time they received the call. Once on scene, firefighters witnessed flames coming out of multiple sections of the house.

“By the time we got here … it was already heavily involved,” Marchetta said, adding that it took around two and a half hours to extinguish the blaze.

Marchetta said no people were injured, but two cats died in the flames. He noted that a dog also survived after it followed the homeowner out of the basement when exiting the home.

The house has been deemed a total loss. Marchetta declined to speculate about where the fire may have originated. An investigation into the cause is underway.

Marchetta noted that one of the fire hydrants that firefighters utilized to extinguish the flames was one that firefighters uncovered from snow this past weekend. The department asks the public to keep nearby hydrants free of snow and ice. Residents who need help clearing the area around a hydrant should call the department for assistance at 740-937-2333.