Pet dog dies in Los Banos house fire; man hurt

One man suffered minor burns and lost his pet dog Tuesday in a house fire in Los Banos, the Fire Department reported.

Flames were reported just before 4 p.m. at a home on Canal Farm Lane, Assistant Fire Chief Mason Hurley told the Sun-Star.

“The fire started in the garage. The resident had some minor burns, but he got out,” Mason said in a telephone interview. “The cause of the fire is under investigation.”

Firefighters also were working to calculate a damage estimate.

The man’s name was not released Tuesday.

Firefighters confirmed the man’s pet dog died as a result of the fire but did not have any further information.

The man’s burns were treated at the scene and he later took himself to a hospital, Hurley said.

A total of 21 firefighters responded to the blaze, 18 from the Los Banos Fire Department and three from the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Merced County.

Firefighters remained until around 6:20 p.m.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 7:27 PM with the headline "Pet dog dies in Los Banos house fire; man hurt."