6 people became homeless due to fire Dauphin County Early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters were dispatched to a duplex-style home in the 200 block of East Canal Street in Southern Hanover Township around 5 a.m. following multiple reports of a house fire.

According to Union Deposit Volunteer Fire Company assistant fire chief Sean Freeland, the fire was caused by an “overloaded/short-circuited electrical outlet in the second-floor rear bedroom.”

The two families, who are relatives, have been living in a two-storey house since 2012.

Homeowner Eric Coy, 57, said he and his 17-year-old son were at home when he plugged his son’s phone charger into a surge protector, causing it to catch fire.

“He went and grabbed me and told me the room was on fire,” Eric said.

Eric went into the bedroom to observe the fire and saw flames coming from the foot of the bed, then left the house and knocked on the door next to the house where their son Justin Coy and his family lived.

“We started getting our stuff before we left the house,” Justin later told PennLive. “And we managed to get the dogs, but the cats hid.”

Two dogs and a cat left the house with the family before things got any worse. Two more cats died in the fire, Justin said.

Justin managed to get out of the house safely with his wife and 9-year-old child. Justin’s uncle also lives there, but it is unknown whether he was home at the time of the fire.

The family said the flames gradually intensified on the second floor before crews arrived at the scene.

Freeland said both sides of the duplex are habitable and the Red Cross is assisting the family.

While the second floor of the duplex was completely evacuated, the remainder of the home sustained significant smoke and water damage.

One firefighter suffered minor burns, but no other injuries were reported, according to Freeland.

It was stated that the fire was brought under control after 1 hour and 20 minutes. However, according to the family, the teams remained at the scene for 3-4 hours.