Firefighters rescued two dogs from a fire that filled a Vinton house with smoke on Wednesday afternoon.

A man in the basement of the house in the 1000 block of Maywood Drive heard a fire alarm going off and saw smoke coming out of the first floor before he called 911 about 5:20 p.m., said Roanoke County Fire-EMS spokeswoman Jennifer Conley Sexton.

The blaze had gone out, but smoke filled the first floor of the house when firefighters arrived, Conley Sexton said. Firefighters rescued two dachshunds that were inside, and paramedics gave them oxygen.

Two families lived on separate floors of the house and were displaced because the house sustained heavy smoke and heat damage, Conley Sexton said.

Investigators found that the fire started in a couch in the first floor living room but could not determine how it was sparked.

-- Jorge Valencia