A fire ripped through a home in Sandwich, killing four dogs and other small animals inside as homeowners escaped safely.
Kim Buldini described the moments her husband went through as he stepped into a house up in flames, and said he was taking their five dogs outside individually when he returned to a burning home.
"He put one of them out, he was coming in to get the other ones to put them out and the whole house was on fire by the time he came back to put the others out," Buldini said. "He couldn’t get them and they were screaming."
Buldini said her husband tried to rescue the rest, but the fire spread too quickly.
She said her husband, a local pastor, even burned his fingers on the door trying to get inside.
"He's alright, that's all that matters," Buldini said. "But, we'll miss the dogs. We loved them."
Only one dog survived the fire, as the family also lost two guinea pigs and a few birds.
"A part of your family," Buldini's daughter Naomi said.
The Buldini's home doubles as a popular bike rental spot in the summer, a place drivers can't miss as they drive down Route 6A.
Fire officials say it likely started in the kitchen just before 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon.
"Multiple fire departments were on scene helping us," Sean Butler of the Sandwich Fire Department said.
Crews worked for hours to battle the flames that engulfed the entire home, and neighbors said the scene was tough to watch.
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"It was a hard battle," neighbor Paul Kenyon said. "It lasted quite a while being so hot."
As for the Buldini's, they're battling through a devastating loss as they said farewell to their home, their business and pets they considered family.
"We don't know what we're gonna do," Kim Buldini said. "Everything's gone."
Fire officials are still investigating what caused the fire, but the house is a total loss due to the flames.
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