A fire destroyed a home in the Scatchet Head area late Monday night, killing three dogs.

The owner and a renter who lived there were not home at the time.

South Whidbey Fire/EMS were dispatched to a call of a fire on Harper Street at 10:33 p.m. The house was already engulfed in flames by the time first responders arrived, according to Chief Rusty Palmer.

“It was a total loss,” he said.

The extent of the damage made it unsafe for firefighters to go inside, Palmer said. Cause of the fire is unknown, but he said it isn’t considered suspicious.

It took about an hour to control the flames and firefighters stayed until about 3 a.m. to extinguish all embers. The owner was off the island at the time and returned after a neighbor called to inform her about the fire. The renter was at work, Palmer said.

Two Chihuahuas and a dachshund died in the fire, which was first reported by a neighbor across the street. She was watching TV and lost power, and when the screen went black she could see the reflection of the flames, Palmer said.

Red Cross workers assisted the owner and renter with accommodations and provided clothing.