CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Coming together to help and heal. That is the goal of some Chesterfield community members as they work to help a woman who lost not only her home but her two dogs in a fire.
One morning in March, Bon Air resident Katie Lee says she got a call at work that her home was on fire.
By the time she arrived, officials had gotten the fire under control, but they told her house was likely a total loss and that her two dogs, Doc and Lou did not make it out alive.
“I don’t know how your life disappears in 30 minutes,” Lee said through tears.
Lee’s home is now unlivable, taped off by caution tape, with the windows boarded up and charred debris and glass scattered throughout the yard.
However, Lee says losing her dogs is what is really breaking her.
“I keep hoping I will find my dogs and I don’t. They were kind of all I had,” Lee said.
Lee rescued the dogs shortly after she purchased her home in 2017.
She said she built her life around them by giving them all the love, snuggles, and care she had in her heart. She described them as always smiling, barking, and willing to give her lots of cuddles.
Lee’s group of friends is now trying to find a way to help her rebuild her life. They have started a GoFundMe page and Amazon wishlist to help her replace everything she lost in the fire.
But more than that, they said they are committed to helping her find her light again after such a great loss.
“It’s not a house. It’s everything I had. This place could go down in flames for the rest of my life and if those dogs and I made it out it would be okay,” Lee said.
Chesterfield Fire said there are 40,000 fire-related pet deaths every year across the country. They are reminding pet owners to never run in after pets when a house is on fire, as the county has seen many people die because of this.
They also encourage owners to have signs posted on their homes with the number of pets inside, as a way to help during emergencies.
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