Dog's Funeral Pyre Torches House

A Dale City man tried to cremate his deceased Rottweiler Wednesday morning, but got more than he bargained for when the funeral pyre flames spread to his house.

At 9:10 a.m. on Wednesday, fire and rescue units responded to a house fire located in the 4500 block of Kingston Road. Firefighters saw smoke billowing from the front of a two-story single-family home and discovered in the house's rear that the fire extended to the attic.

The firefighters were able to succesfully extinguish the flames, but not before $70,000 worth of damage was done to the house.

The Fire Marshal's Office said that the home's occupant had set a fire near the back of the house to dispose of his Rottweiler that had died the week before. The man stacked wood near the dog and used an accelerant to intensify the flames, but the accelerant pooled near the house and spread the flames to the building when it was ignited.

Prince William County Police and the Red Cross responded to the scene. The investigation is continuing.