A house on Tamarack Drive in Amherst was gutted by a fire Wednesday afternoon. Two dogs were killed in the incident, according to a press release from the Amherst Fire Department. The owners, Anthony and Anna Bond, were not in the house at the time of the fire.

According to the release, a preliminary investigation determined that the fire likely began in a bedroom on the second floor and was coming out of the roof once fire officials arrived, but is not believed to be suspicious. A passer-by reported the incident shortly after noon via a 9-1-1 call, and an alarm box was then pulled to summon on-duty and off-duty personnel.

The cause of the fire is still unknown and investigators will return later this week.

Because of the size of the fire, a second alarm was called for back-up as the Northampton Fire Department had one truck on site and the Belchertown Fire Department had one ambulance standing by with dozens of police and firefighters on the scene.

Crews put out a significant amount of the fire in order for them to search the house for any occupants. After no person was found, the crew exited the house because the roof started to cave in. Fire crews remained at the house until 7 p.m., according to the press release.

After returning to the home, the owners worked with their insurance agent to find alternative housing. One firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.

There was severe damage in the second floor and attic, with some damage on the first floor, along with heavy smoke and water damage throughout the house, according to the press release.

The fire was mostly out by 1 p.m., according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Devyn Giannetti is the Collegian managing editor can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @Devyn_Giannetti.