Pet dog perishes in Shandon home fire

A home in the Shandon neighborhood in Columbia was heavily damaged by a fire Friday in which a pet dog perished.

Family members were away when a neighbor reported the fire in the 200 block of Prospect Street shortly before 5 p.m., officials said.

Homeowner David Prezioso was especially distraught over the death of his nine-year-old pit bull Emma in the blaze.

“She was sweet, not like the image of mean and nasty you often see and hear about,” he said.

His family had been away from its home of two years for a few hours before the fire began, he said.

“All I know is that it started in the back of the house,” he said.

Firefighters began checking on the cause of the fire after it was extinguished within an hour, Capt. Brick Lewis said.

He described damage as “significant” but said no estimate of its impact was immediately available.

The 80-year-home has four bedrooms and 2,400 square feet, county property tax records show

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Pet dog perishes in Shandon home fire."