Derek Thompson, far right, East Butler VFD chief, talks to homeowner Mark Koebler II, second from the left, and Koebler's grandmother about the fire Sunday morning at Koebler's home.

CLEARFIELD TWP — No one was injured Sunday morning when fire swept through a house on the 900 block of Clearfield Road in the township, authorities said,

The blaze, which was reported about 7:40 a.m., destroyed the home where a young couple lived. Damage was estimated at between $80,000 and $90,000.

The state police fire marshal has been contacted, but a cause was not immediately known, said Derek Thompson, chief of the East Butler Volunteer Fire Department.

Homeowner Mark Koebler II said he had driven his live-in girlfriend to work earlier that morning and as he was returning home, he pulled over to let a couple fire trucks pass him. A short time later he discovered the fire was at his house.

“There were flames coming out both dormer windows in front,” he said. A cat was inside but its fate was unknown.The 23-year-old Koebler bought the house about three years ago, and spent a year and a half or so renovating it. He moved in just five months ago.Lois Hamilton was at her house across the street when she heard noises outside and her dogs barking.“I just seen smoke coming from the top of the house, up the roof and out the windows,” she said. “I saw two people out there. They were trying to get into the house to see if anyone was in there.”Thompson said fire was coming from both first and second floors, with the upstairs “completely engulfed in flames.”A crew from the Chicora Volunteer Fire Department was first on scene and forced its way through the front door to make an interior attack.“They knocked the first floor down,” Thompson said, “and made entry into (the second floor). At that point all the other crews were on scene.”In all, between 30 and 35 firefighters from nine departments battled the blaze.Tankers provided water because there are no fire hydrants. Crews closed the road between Carbon Center and Hickey Bottom roads during the fire fight.Koebler said he was uncertain if he had full insurance on the property. The American Red Cross was notified for assistance.“I feel so bad for him,” Hamilton said of her neighbor. “He put a lot of money and a lot of time into that house. It's a shame.”Assisting the East Butler and Chicora VFDs were firefighters from Herman, Lick Hill, Saxonburg, Petrolia and Buffalo Township in Butler County, and Sugarcreek and Worthington in Armstrong County.

Firefighters battle a blaze Sunday morning at a home on the 900 block of Clearfield Road in Clearfield Township. No one was home when the fire was reported about 7:40 a.m. The home was destroyed, authorities said. The state police fire marshal has been notified, but a cause was not immediately known.