STONELICK TOWNSHIP — A man's gun collection helped fuel a fire Tuesday morning that destroyed his house, killed his dog and could lead to $1 million in damage.

        Don and Carol Smith were asleep when they heard a noise around 6 a.m., something like a picture falling off a wall, said Owensville Fire Chief Gene Williams.

        Mr. Smith went to investigate, opening a basement door that led to his collection of guns and ammunition. That gave the fire, which was inside, the oxygen it needed to spread. Part of the roof had already fallen in by the time firefighters arrived.

        Mrs. Smith got out OK. Mr. Smith barely did. He and a neighbor tried to save Winston, the springer spaniel who was locked in a cage in the garage. But the fire, a neighbor said, was just too hot.

        Investigators might never know what caused the two-story contemporary house on Bittercreek Drive to go up so fast, said Chief Williams. He was first on the scene, seven minutes after the Smiths called 911 at 6:13 a.m.

        “It'll probably go as undetermined, just because of the magnitude of the fire,” he said. “The house just burned so bad.”

        The fire started in the basement. Mr. Smith's specially made gun room was there, the chief said. The ammunition inside continued generating small explosions for about an hour.

        To rebuild the house will cost at least $450,000 to $500,000, Chief Williams said. Add to that the cost of the contents, including a new $70,000 Mercedes that burned in the garage, and he thinks the damage estimate could top $1 million.

        Mr. Smith was taken to Clermont Mercy Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, but he was back at the scene of his burned house about three hours later. A firefighter was headed to the hospital later Tuesday to check out a shoulder injury.

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