Early morning house fire in Rochester takes the life of owner’s dog

South Thurston Fire received a call at 12:24 a.m. Monday morning about a house fire in Rochester.

More than 20 firefighters responded to the scene in the 18200 block of Leitner Road Southwest after a neighbor spotted flames tearing through the home. By the time units had arrived, the house was engulfed by flames.

South Thurston Chief Andrew Schaffran said the occupant of the house was at work at the time of the fire, but her dog was left at home. Schaffran said firefighters attempted CPR on the dog, but it was unsuccessful.

The department was assisted by West Thurston, East Olympia, Tumwater and Bucoda fire departments in responding to the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation by teams with the West and Southeast Thurston Fire authorities.

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 12:29 PM.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

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Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription