San Bernardino County Couple Die In Fire While Rescuing Pets: Grandson

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — Relatives say a San Bernardino couple died in a fire over the weekend while trying to rescue their pets.

Brandon Carty said his grandparents Carol and James Carty, ages 81 and 82, died when a fire ignited Saturday night at their home. Carty told KABC their home is on Holly Vista Boulevard, near Alameda Avenue.

Firefighters pulled the Cartys from the burning home. They died at a hospital, according to the report.

The pets also reportedly died.

"They know everybody, no one's a stranger to them," James Carty Jr. told the TV station. "I think they died trying to save their animals, trying to save their cats, and their little dogs."

In a GoFundMe account created to raise money for funeral expenses, Brandon Carty described his grandparents as "loving, caring and friendly people," who would take the shirts off their backs for a random stranger.

"This tragedy hit us unexpectedly and it still doesn’t feel real at all," he wrote in the fundraiser. "If there’s anyone out there that is willing to help us pay to lay my grandparents to rest peacefully it would truly mean the world to my family and I."

As of Tuesday morning, more than $6,000 had been raised out of a goal of $30,000.

Brandon Carty called them "amazing souls" who were beloved by neighbors, strangers who walked by, and even people experiencing homelessness who knew them.

"They loved every single person they cared about and talked to," Carty said. "They helped out the community by always donating clothes, furniture, and other stuff to the local Goodwills and Salvation Armies."

The Cartys loved their pets, he said. They died trying to rescue them.

"They loved animals and even rescued them all the way till their passing," he said.

Brandon Carty added: "In the event of this tragedy, their house caught fire and they didn’t make it out. We believe they were trying to save the pets and animals they had in the house first and unfortunately didn’t make it out."

Donators, some of whom were neighbors, remembered the couple as kind, caring people.

"This world needs more true and kind souls as your grandparents, and I’m so very sorry for your loss," one donator wrote. "May they Rest In Peace and may you continue their legacy of compassion and caring."

Another donator said the Cartys would be missed in the neighborhood.

"Praying for your family during this tough time," the donator wrote.