SOUTH HAVEN | A home here was heavily damaged in an early morning fire Friday.

There were no injuries, but a dog and nine cats perished in the blaze, which was reported at 1:10 a.m. Friday at 769 Fremont Road.

South Haven Fire Chief John Kepshire said when firefighters arrived heavy flames were showing from the rear of the home.

The family, Phillip and Marilyn Clark, was not at home at the time the fire broke out. They were staying down the street at a daughter's home, Kepshire said.

Kepshire said firefighters from his department, Portage, Union Township and Liberty Township had the fire under control in about 40 minutes after their arrival. Firefighters stayed on the scene until about 4 a.m. putting out hot spots.

"They did a fantastic job. I did not think they would be able to save the house with the volume of fire showing when we arrived," Kepshire said.

The fire started in a single-story rear addition of the Cape Cod-style home. Kepshire said the family was using a wood burning stove in the addition, but they could not determine, as yet, whether the fire was caused by the stove. The Porter County Fire Investigation Strike Team was called in to investigate the cause of the fire.

The large addition, which was used as a family or living room, was totally destroyed. There was heavy structural damage throughout the rest of the house. He estimated the damage to the structure and contents at between $75,000 and $80,000.