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Two dogs die in Medford house fire Firefighters work a house fire on Cummings Lane near Midway Road in north Medford on Saturday. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch Saturday Jan 14, 2017 at 10:13 AM Jan 14, 2017 at 5:50 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat Two dogs are dead and a home's occupants are displaced in the wake of a house fire this morning in northwest Medford. The residents weren't home when a neighbor first reported the fire at 2685 Cummings Lane at 9:19 a.m. Medford Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Erin Sawall said crews had water on the fire within 5-1/2 minutes of the call. A working fire alarm was sounding when crews arrived at the home near Midway Road, according to Sawall. The home was extensively damaged. Medford police closed Cummings Lane to accommodate the four fire engines from Medford Fire-Rescue and Jackson County Fire District 3, according to Sawall. The point of origin is under investigation, Sawall said, but the bulk of the fire hit the south side of the house, outdoors near the patio and inside the home in the living room area. As of 11:30 a.m., the investigator was still on location determining whether the fire started in the patio area and worked inward, or if the fire started indoors and spread to the patio. Sawall said two dogs died in the fire, though two other dogs at the home survived. A chaplain was also on scene helping the occupants arrange a place to stay with family members and helping them make arrangements for the two dogs lost in the fire. "He's helping to transition the occupants during this difficult time," Sawall said. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.