It took members of the Irving Fire Department about 30 minutes to get a morning house fire under control Monday afternoon.
When fire crews arrived on the 1200 block of Irving Heights Drive, the home was totally engulfed in flames.
The homeowner, Jim Deatherage, said he was right by the house when his wife yelled for him. She saw what looked like a short in an electrical outlet in the ground. The cord from a lamp was plugged into it.
“I was in the guest house in my office. By the time I got there the flames were shooting to the ceiling,” said Deatherage. “We grabbed the garden hose but it was no good.”
It was a 100-year-old home that went quickly. It was so involved with fire that when firefighters arrived, they had to go at it defensively.
Still, they were able to rescue the couple’s four dogs and two cats. The cats were all okay. So were two of the dogs. One of the dogs was given oxygen by firefighters, and was doing well, but another dog (not the one pictured) did not survive because of smoke inhalation.
“It is upsetting. It’s hard on everybody that works on them, but it is gratifying to be able to save some. But is always tough, the ones you lose,” said Irving Assistant Fire Chief J. Taylor.
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Neighbors were quick to come and help.
“It is too bad. Hopefully there will be something salvageable for them,” said neighbor Bob Bettis.
Bettis helped care for his neighbor's pets in the aftermath of the fire.
The exact cause of the fire is under investigation, and no people were injured in the fire.
NBC 5's Julie Fine contributed to this report.
