An Inland Empire family is trying to get back on its feet after a fire destroyed their home on New Year’s Day and claimed the life of their beloved cat.
The fire broke out around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while the parents of the home were out on errands. Brandon Vines was alone in his room when his cat started panicking and alerted him to the fire.
“When I opened the door, I saw my cat, Ali, and he ran back into the courtyard. I followed him and I smelled smoke, and outside… I could see the fire,” Vines said.
The house was quickly engulfed in flames, and surrounding neighbors did their best to stop the fire from spreading before firefighters arrived.
“We’re neighbors. What else is there to do?” Danny Schoonover said. “We grabbed the hose and tried to put out the fire and turn off the gas. Then we pulled down the fence and told the neighbors to throw water.”
It took firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. The house was given a red tag due to the amount of damage caused by the fire.
Homeowner Jeff Vines said he was shocked to find his home destroyed when he got home.
“We’re calling the firefighters and the house is on fire. It’s just shocking,” Jeff said.
The family was not injured, but their beloved cat Ali did not survive and died from the smoke.
“Everything I knew, everything I owned, and the person I loved most, the cat I had known and cherished for five years, was gone,” Vines said. Ta.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the family believes it may have been caused by illegal fireworks in the area.
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