‘My dogs were our heart and soul’: Fire kills 6 dogs, destroys home days before Christmas

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    HARTLAND, Vermont (WPTZ) — The fire that engulfed a Windsor County family’s home last weekend resulted in the death of six dogs on the property.

Steve and Marlene Murray were away Saturday afternoon when a fire broke out inside their home on Independent Drive. When fire crews arrived, they said the property was “fully engulfed” by flames. The cause remains undetermined.

“My dogs were our heart and soul,” Marlene said. Inside the home were their six dogs: Belle, Jack, Bloo Worm, Boone, Ivy and Max.

“Steve ran up to the back door and kicked it in to get the dogs out but there was, there wasn’t any going in,” she said.

The flames were so intense, they melted part of their car in the driveway. Firefighters could only let it burn out.

“They heard a dog and they all tried to get it out but the roof collapsed and the fire chief said they had to, they had to just back away at that point,” she said.

A GoFundMe page set up for them has so far raised more than $8,500 with many people offering support in other ways.

“It kind of takes our breath away to know that somebody just in every single aspect someone has stepped up and offered to help,” Marlene said.

Steve said, “It’s nice to know that there are good people still out there.”

A link to the GoFundMe page can be found here.

“It isn’t things that matter in life, it’s the people you, that are in your community, that you surround yourself with, that you love and that you hold dear in your heart every day. That’s what matters in life. Things can always be replaced, but this kind of support comes from the hearts of people,” Marlene said.

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