Man, dog killed in 'suspicious' Seal Beach house fire

SEAL BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A man and his dog were killed after being trapped in what police say may be a suspicious fire at a home in Seal Beach early Saturday.

About 55 firefighters from the Orange County Fire Authority battled the blaze at a two-story multi-family dwelling in the 200 block of 17th Street, which began at about 12:15 a.m. The fire was knocked down within one hour, fire officials said.

Investigators said an older man, later identified as 67-year-old John Donnelly, was trapped on the second floor in the surrounding blaze but due to the amount of combustibles, crews were unable to rescue him in time.

Donnelly's dog also died in the fire, according to officials from the OCFA.

Seal Beach police said the cause of the fire was under investigation but believe it was suspicious in nature.

Anyone with information on the cause of the fire was urged to contact Seal Beach Police Detective Pete Krok at (562) 799-4100 Ext. 1110.