SEATTLE — A family who lost nearly everything in a devastating house fire last weekend told KIRO 7 they escaped with their lives thanks to their two dogs.
Maurice Jones, 13, said he was visiting his grandmother’s home and had just awakened when the dogs, PJ and Precious, frantically showed up at a downstairs door.
“The dogs came scratching on the door and then my cousin Jordan, he went to the door to open it, and he was like, ‘you guys come look at this,’” said Jones.
The Beacon Hill house was on fire, filling with smoke, and the family had no idea.
“I heard a pop and it was pretty loud,” Maurice’s aunt Deirdre Jones said, who was in her bed upstairs. “My door was closed then I heard the dogs PJ and Precious; they like hit my door as they ran out of Paulette’s room, my sister’s.”
Jones said her bedroom door handle was hot and smoke then started to drift into her room.
“When I open [the door] I couldn’t see anything,” said Jones. “Everything was black.”
Jones was home with three children at the time, including her nephew Maurice, who had slept over ahead of the Super Bowl. Everyone managed to escape the burning home.
“If the dogs hadn’t come downstairs, we wouldn’t have known anything,” said Maurice Jones.
Seattle firefighters say the accidental fire was caused by an overheated extension cord and estimate the damage at $165,000.
“The dog saved everybody,” said Jones.
A family friend created a GoFundMe to help raise money for the family who must now figure out where to go next – they said they did not have renter’s insurance and lost nearly everything in the fire.
The family of eight said the Red Cross has put them up in hotels for now.
“You just don’t know what’s going to happen from one day to the next,” said Jones.
Despite the tremendous loss, the family said they’re thankful for the two dogs who alerted everyone to get out of the burning home.
“I’ve always hugged them tight,” said Maurice Jones. “But I’m just really proud.”