UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — A Pierce County family is heartbroken after losing all 14 of their pets when fire tore through their University Place home Thursday afternoon.
West Pierce Fire & Rescue responded to the fire near Menlo Drive W and 33rd Street W.
Derek Smith and his family rushed home to find their house engulfed in flames.
Their seven dogs, six cats, and a bearded dragon were trapped inside.
None survived.
“Probably the worst day of mine and my family’s life,” Smith said.
Smith rushed home as West Pierce firefighters battled the fire.
He busted through the front door, desperate to save his pets, but it was too late.
“As I’m laying them into the front yard, the firefighters start actually bringing out the animals, but each one of them was all just dead,” Smith recalled.
Smith, his wife, and their three children weren’t home when the fire started. They say their animals were part of the family. Now they’re left with photos and memories of their fur babies.
“All I can think of is that I had my family in there and that was the last thing that they had to go through, their tragic ending, and I wasn’t there to save them,” Smith said, his voice breaking.
The family isn’t just grieving their animals. Their home is also a total loss. Smith says smoke and flames destroyed everything inside.
“You can’t focus on the fact that the home’s destroyed, our lives are destroyed, but those are irreplaceable members of the family. And it’s gonna be really hard to move on,” Smith said.
Through the devastation, neighbors have rallied around the Smith family, donating money, food, and clothing as they head into the holiday season.
“Life is precious. Every life is precious, and as long as we care for one another and look out for one another, I don’t see how this world could go wrong,” Smith said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help replace essentials like clothes and shoes, and to cover the costs of laying their pets to rest.
If you’d like to donate to help support the family, click here.
The Pierce County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
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