Updated with additional information.
OAK GROVE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – On Wednesday afternoon, seven pets perished in a house fire in Oak Grove, and a neighbor is working to make sure the family gets help.
The Oak Grove Fire Department was dispatched for a report of smoke coming behind a house on Karen Court, according to Fire Chief Bill Johnson. “We arrived to find light smoke coming from the eaves of the roof and a hole that was burned through the siding on the front of the house,” said Johnson.
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The fire was inside the kitchen with extension to the attic. Authorities were able to extinguish it quickly. Fire damage was contained to the kitchen and attic, but there was smoke damage throughout the house.
No one was home at the time of the fire, but all seven pets perished. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The family of three adults (one an elderly parent) and two young children weren’t home at the time, according to Karen Court neighbor Sarah Chioino.
The family is displaced and being assisted by the Red Cross. They “lost everything in this fire, all personal belongings, memorabilia, and, tragically, their beloved dogs and cats,” Chioino said on the GoFundMe fundraising page.
Funds will be used to recover the cost of cremating their pets, clothing, toys, food, housewares and any new furniture or necessities that home insurance does not cover.