A home sustained heavy damage following a fire early this morning in West Penn Township.

Crews from several counties responded to the home on West Penn Pike along Route 309 in the village of Snyders, just north of the intersection of Route 895.Firefighters arrived before 5 a.m. at the two-story structure, according to township fire Chief Dennis Fritzinger Jr.“Upon arrival, (there was) a fully involved structure to the front side of the residence,” Fritzinger said. “It was a decent, quick knockdown, but the home sustained a lot of damage and will not be livable.”Fritzinger said an elderly man who resided at the home was sleeping at the time, and said he woke up to feeling heat and called 911.The man was not injured, however, a dog that was inside died as a result of the fire, Fritzinger said.Fritzinger said the man will be staying with his caretaker. The Red Cross was called to assist the man with some clothing, he said.A state fire marshal has been called in to help determine the cause of the fire.The New Ringgold, Tamaqua American Hose, South Ward Fire Company in Tamaqua, East Penn, New Tripoli and Germansville fire companies assisted at the scene, along with the Tamaqua Ambulance and Penn Mahoning Ambulance.Fritzinger said the fire department is thankful to “all the departments that assisted us. It was a great team effort again.”