Family escapes, dog dies in house fire north of Bellingham
The house, located at
The exterior walls of the house stayed upright, but the fire destroyed the interior.
Steven, who goes by John, said they were only able to recover the pajamas they wore as they escaped the house barefoot. Some pictures may be salvageable, but everything else inside was burned or had smoke damage.
The family's dog, a pug named Lacey, did not survive. They recovered the body and buried her Monday morning.
Most of the smoke alarms in the house were disabled because the family had been painting inside, but they left one on in the living room to be safe.
"If we hadn't thought of that, we probably wouldn't be talking," John said.
Erica, 35, said she woke up first to the smoke alarm. She alerted her husband, who saw smoke and flames filling the kitchen. He told Erica to get the kids and get out while he put on pajamas and called 911. He initially tried to put out the fire with a towel, but it was already "too far gone," he said. He opened the door to the laundry room near the kitchen, where the dog was, and screamed for the dog to come out as cabinets collapsed around him. She didn't.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, Anderson said, but it started somewhere in the kitchen. He said it was accidental. It did not appear to be an electrical issue.
The local chapter of the
"We're just thankful to God that we're here and alive," John said.
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