Twist of fate saved dog in house fire that claimed everything else Hilton Head couple had

Island Packet (Hilton Head, SC)

Jan. 22--Rebecca Stone and her boyfriend, Jake Hawkins, were out for a post-dinner drink at Hinchey's Bar and Grill on Hilton Head Island Monday night when they realized they'd left their dog, a 5-year-old Australian Shepherd named Simon, un-kenneled.

He had free roam of their home in Palmetto Dunes, and they realized he'd surely torn through the trash and made a mess for them to clean up when they returned home.

"Normally if we go anywhere, we put him in the kennel or the bedroom," Stone said. "Jake just completely forgot."

That mistake saved Simon's life.

The condo where Stone, 26, and Hawkins, 28, had lived for two years was almost completely destroyed in a fire Monday night. Only sections of the living room and entry way to their condo in the Moorings Villas neighborhood were spared.

Had Simon been kenneled or in their bedroom with the door closed, like usual, he would have been trapped where the roof collapsed.

"Had he been in there, he would have been gone," Stone said Wednesday. "But when the fire department opened the door, he ran out and sat ... at the bottom of the stairs waiting for someone to put a leash on him. It was the best thing that could have happened in this situation."

The fire started Monday night and blazed well into Tuesday morning. Fire engines arrived around 1:15 a.m., and the fire was officially extinguished around 3:30 a.m., according to a news release from Hilton Head Fire Rescue.

It affected all four condos in Stone's building, but her unit was damaged most. The fire was ruled accidental, and is being investigated further by insurance representatives, as is common in fires that are determined to be accidental.

Lost in the fire were Hawkins' fraternity memorabilia from his college days and clothing that belonged to Stone's now-late grandfather.

"A lot of stuff is pretty damaged from the water and the plaster," Stone said. "The furniture and stuff is all gone."

Members of the community are already to stepping up to help the couple.

Hawkins, who works at the nearby Marriott hotel, was given a small bonus and the week off to recover, she said. The hotel lent a truck to help move things to his parents' home in the Crosswinds neighborhood on Hilton Head.

Stone, who works at Sea Pines Country Club, said between 15 and 20 people from the club have reached out to her and offered a place to stay.

Reflecting on the fire on Wednesday, Stone and Hawkins said they were thankful not to be hurt and expressed relief that Hilton Head firefighters were on scene for several hours.

Although nearly their entire home was destroyed, Stone and Hawkins reflected on the few items that were spared.

"Most of our stuff was in our room," Stone said. But the ice they'd put in Hawkins' Yeti cooler over the weekend "still had ice in it, even after the fire."

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