A fire at a home in Red Oak has claimed the lives of four animals. Red Oak Battalion Fire Chief Randy Askey said firefighters were called to the scene of the blaze at around 12:30-pm on Tuesday, at 207 4th Avenue. Askey said the intense heat and unstable conditions in the home prevented firefighters from gaining entry to the structure to extinguish the flames, which were eventually knocked down from outside the home, before the interior fire was brought under control about an hour after they first arrived on the scene. Askey said the owner of the home was away when the fire broke out, and no fire crews were harmed fighting the fire, but four family pets died. The house sustained extensive damage. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.