ELSMERE, NY - Neighbors rescued two dogs and fire crews quickly extinguished a room and contents fire at a home in Elsmere on Monday, January 2nd.

The Elsmere and Delmar Fire Departments were called to 48 Greenleaf Dr at 6:45 P.M. for a reported structure fire. Neighbors called 911 stating that the house was filling with smoke.

“They did a great job,” said Chief Marc Futia of the Elsmere Fire Department. “They called it in and they actually made entry into the house and rescued two dogs.”

He says the neighbors entered the home through the attached garage of the home. They went to rescue the dogs when one turned around and bit the neighbor, but Futia says the neighbor was not injured and was determined to get both dogs out.

Chief Futia arrived at the home with a heavy smoke condition inside with the smoke on the rear side of the home banked down to the floor.

“I made entry to the side as far as I could, but I couldn’t get in far because of the smoke,” Futia said. He says fire damage was limited to the den area with smoke damage throughout.

“They [firefighters] found the fire, knocked it down and removed the fire debris,” Futia said. “It was a good stop with limited fire damage, but there was a lot of smoke damage.”

There was nobody home at the time of the fire. In addition to the two dogs neighbors rescued, Futia says firefighters rescued a bearded dragon and two guinea pigs.

Crews had the fire extinguished and were packing up within an hour, he said. He says the fire was caused by a thermostat with a timer that kicked on the gas-powered fireplace, which caught some furniture and a carpet on fire that was in close proximity to the fireplace.

Elsmere and Delmar Fire Departments were on scene with the Bethlehem FAST, Delmar-Bethlehem EMS, Albany County Paramedics and Bethlehem Police.

“Everything worked well,” Futia said. “The different departments coming together, cooperating perfectly, the police did well and actually the one officer was in a spot where he identified the closest fire hydrant for us.”

There were no injuries reported on the scene.