UPPER TOWNSHIP- Fire destroyed a house at 313 Little Storms Creek Road last night,

the third house in Lawrence County lost in a fire in less than a week.

Jeff Scott, chief of the Upper Township Fire Department, said the two-story frame house, owned by Carl Jenkins, was a total loss. Jenkins and his son were home at the time the fire broke out around 6 p.m. Wednesday, but managed to get to safety.

Scott said firefighters also managed to save five puppies that were in the house. One pup suffered minor burns and two were given oxygen.

Scott said it appears the fire may have started in the back of the house.

"The fire was already through the roof when we arrived," Scott said.

Four other fire departments, Lawrence, Elizabeth, Hamilton and Decatur townships were called for mutual assistance. Still, Scott said the combined effort was not enough for a fire so large.

"Our biggest problem was lack of manpower," Scott said. "We were stretched too thin and trying to do too much."

According to Upper Township volunteer firefighter Chad Bowman, combustible items such as propane and gas tanks tanks hindered the firefighters' ability to extinguish the blaze.

"We would have had this thing knocked down, but there were several explosions," Bowman said at the scene Thursday.

Firefighters remained on the scene battling the fire until approximately 11:30 p.m.