NEW MARTINSVILLE – The state fire marshal is continuing to investigate a fire that killed a man in his Wetzel County home earlier this month.

Firefighters were called to the home at 4401 Doolin Run Road near New Martinsville shortly after 2 a.m. Jan. 11 and found the structure fully engulfed in flames, New Martinsville Fire Chief Rick Myers said.

Myers said firefighters were told someone was still inside the house as they began battling the blaze.

“The first crew attempted to push into the home and make an interior attack and begin a search, but fire conditions were too bad,” Myers said.

Robert “Bob” John Pyles, 62, and his dog died in the blaze, according to published reports.

The cause of the fire appears to be accidental, Myers said, but it remains under investigation by the fire marshal.

Fire officials at the state headquarters in Charleston could not be reached for comment Monday.

New Martinsville firefighters were assisted at the scene by fire departments from Paden City, Grandview and Sardis, along with Wetzel County EMS, the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office and West Virginia State Police.