A Monrovia home burst into flames Friday afternoon while the owner of the house was searching the neighborhood for her lost dog, police said.
The fire gutted a home on Fifth Avenue just north of Colorado Boulevard in Monrovia near the Arcadia border. The owner was not inside the home when the fire broke out at about 3:30 p.m., Monrovia Police Sgt. Dan Verna said.
"She was not inside the house. She was up the street looking for her dog," Verna said. "We found the dog running up the street."
Monrovia Fire Chief Christopher Donovan said a preliminary investigation determined that the fire was caused by an electrical issue in a closet. The house was a complete loss and he estimated the damage at $250,000.
No one was injured in the blaze, Donovan said.
