SPRING CITY, Pa. (AP) -- A three-story Civil War-era farmhouse was severely damaged by fire Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
John Trego, the chief of Spring City's Liberty Fire Company, said the fire appeared to have started on the first floor and spread to all three floors of the house in East Pikeland Township, Chester County.
``The owner was out shopping and doing errands, so the fire had a good head start and it had to have been going for a while before it became visible to a neighbor who was at least 100 yards away,'' Trego said.
Authorities said it took about three hours to bring the fire under control after it was reported shortly after noon. A cat was killed in the blaze.
State police and the county fire marshal's office were investigating the cause of the blaze.
