A fire in Lunenburg on Saturday morning destroyed the home of a family of three, but all three got out safely. Two dogs and a cat perished in the fire.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation and at this time is believed to be accidental,” according to a press release from state police.
Talietha Lewis said she was putting her 14-month-old son down for a nap Saturday at about 10 a.m. when her partner yelled fire.
“I opened the bedroom door and I could see the flames behind our front door,” she said.
The home’s cedar siding quickly caught fire.
Lewis, her partner, Peter Parlock, and their son escaped out the back door, handed off their son, and then tried to save the pets.
“We ended up having to hand our son over our backyard fence to some people,” Lewis said. “We tried to help the dogs through the sliding door that was in our bedroom, but we just couldn’t. So we ended up hopping the fence.”
In addition to the Lunenburg Fire Department, firefighters from five neighboring communities in Vermont and New Hampshire responded to the incident.
“The single-family two-story structure sustained extensive damage and was considered a total loss,” the state police said in a statement.
Lewis, Parlock and their son were taken to Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster, New Hampshire, just across the Connecticut River from Lunenburg. Parlock and Lewis were treated for smoke inhalation, and Parlock also suffered second-degree burns. They returned to urgent care later in the day for further treatment. According to Lewis, their son is “perfectly fine.”
Lewis said she still doesn’t know what started the fire. The days since have been hectic.
“It’s just been making phone calls, trying to get a hold of insurance companies, and sorting through donations,” she said.
A GoFundMe campaign to support the family had raised over $7,700 as of Monday afternoon.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Fire destroys home in Lunenburg; family escapes with minor injuries.