Firefighters Help Family Bury Puppy After Blaze

TAMPA, FL — A family in the Carrollwood area had to say goodbye to their puppy after a Thursday afternoon fire ripped through their Vera Avenue home.

According to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, the blaze was reported around 12:30 p.m. May 11. The first crews on the scene found heavy fire coming from the back of the home in the 12300 block of Vera Avenue.

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Fighters worked quickly to make sure the home was searched and cleared of all human life. While no people were injured in the 30-minute battle to bring the flames under control, fire rescue says the family’s dog was found during the search and pronounced dead on the scene.

Once the fire was brought under control, firefighters “assisted the family in paying their final respects to the dog, and helped them bury the dog in their backyard,” an email from fire rescue said.

It is unclear what breed the animal was, but fire rescue spokesman Corey Dierdorff said it was a puppy that had recently been picked out by grandparents for the family’s child.

Any loss of life is heartbreaking, Dierdorff said. “A life is a life, and we all take it very hard.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire rescue said the family has been displaced due to the damage. Their names have not been released.

Further information is not yet available.

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Photo courtesy of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue