Two family dogs died in a New Carlisle house fire Thursday night in the 300 block of Funston Avenue.
Crews rescued four other dogs, said New Carlisle Fire Division Chief Steve Trusty. They were initially searching for a missing dog, but it was later found dead.
In a frantic call to 9-1-1, a woman who lives in the house told dispatchers that she was safe, but she was worried about her dogs inside the house. She managed to get two of them into her car while she waited for fire crews.
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Crews were dispatched about 8:30 p.m. on a report of a possible structure fire, with smoke reportedly coming from the home’s windows. No one was home when the fire broke out in the kitchen, which Trusty said was pretty much destroyed.
He said the last time anyone was home was about 3 p.m. The two humans and the surviving dogs will have to stay elsewhere because of the fire, smoke and water damage.
He said it was too soon to put a dollar estimate on the damage to the house and its contents, but noted “significant damage” was done, and the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
On Friday, the people who live in the house returned to salvage what they could from the loss.
The homeowner, who did not want to be identified, said he and his wife were really overwhelmed by the whole ordeal.
He said he was working with his gas company to get the utility turned off to the house.
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People who live on Funston Avenue said their hearts go out to their neighbors during this difficult time.
“If they need anything, I hope they reach out,” said Leanna Newton.
Newton understands their pain — she said she’d be devastated if something ever happened to her dog.
“It’s like losing part of your family,” she said. “You love them.”
Ben Rohm and Esther Rohm live next door to where the fire broke out.
“My daughter had said it smelled like a campfire (on Thursday) and I just thought someone had a bonfire going,” Esther Rohm said.
She remembers seeing rescue crews bring out a dog and work on it in the front yard, but the dog was just limp.
Ben Rohm said his neighbors have always been good to him, but the incident shows bad things can happen anywhere.
“It has you checking your own house, checking your own smoke detectors, making sure your outlets are clear. Just really second guessing your own home,” he said.