UPDATE 2/27/12 @ 6:40 p.m.
BIG CHIMNEY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Reduced to ashes, a home in Big Chimney was destroyed by fire, killing a homeowner's two puppy dogs.

Flames broke out about 9:30 a.m. Monday along Kennedy Drive in Kanawha County.

Still sleeping, neighbor Robert Adkins says it wasn't what he saw, it was what he heard.

"I heard a popping like shells going off," Adkins said. "Then I laid there a little bit and I thought something's wrong."

Guns, gunpowder and ammunition were found inside the home, giving firefighters a challenge to put out the flames.

How the fire started is still a mystery, however, neighbors were left on edge.

"I saw a fire truck at the bottom of the hill," neighbor Carolyn Moore said. "It scared me because I thought my house was on fire."

Unfortunately for Bonna Bailey, it was her home. It's a place where she's lived for nearly three decades.

"It's a shocker, I wasn't expecting it," Bailey said. "When I went to work this morning, everything was fine."

She lost everything, including her two little puppy dogs she got for the grandkids.

"That's the only thing, if we could have gotten anything out, it would have been those two little dogs," Bailey said. "I wish we could have got them."

Still, the pain of losing her home, belongings and pets is no comparison to the pain of losing someone much more dear to her heart. Her husband passed away just a month ago and was still inside in a special box. That box was rescued and retrieved by firefighters.

"The worst day is when I lost my husband, so this is just stuff," Bailey said. "You can replace it."

It's an ending that's left a family picking up the pieces and wondering what's next.

The fire victim's family says they did have space heaters, but think they were all turned off.

Firefighters say the flames started in the back of the home but have not ruled on a cause.

The fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. along Kennedy Drive.

Bonna Bailey was not home at the time of the fire, but she returned while firefighters were still working to put out the hot spots.

Firefighters say a neighbor called 911 when he heard popping noises and looked outside and saw the house on fire.

The homeowner says her husband died last month, but he was a gun collector so there were several guns and ammunition inside the house. That's what firefighters believe caused the popping sounds.

The house was destroyed. Bonna lived there with her son, but he was also at work at the time of the fire.

The house fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. along Kennedy Drive.

Kanawha County 911 Dispatchers tell WSAZ.com there were reports of ammunition exploding after the house caught on fire.

We have a crew headed to the scene. Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.