MIAMI – Flames leaped high into the air from the home where the Jones family lived for 3 decades.
“I just came home from therapy and the Uber dropped me off in front of the house and I looked and seen smoke, I said, ‘That's my house!” Alfred Jones said. He and his 4 adult daughters live here.
“Everything's gone,” said Amber Jones. “All I have is the clothes right now, my car and that's it, my phone. That's literally it. I don't have anything, anything,” she said.
Now, they're trying to see what survived the fire. They're able to save some things — but not a lot.
“I found some of the important documents I need but it's so wet, I'm going to try to let them dry out. I got a couple clothes in that suitcase and some tools that didn't get burnt,” Alfred Jones said.
But the Jones family is feeling the deep pain of loss. Their beloved dog Genevieve was inside at the time. When rescue crews discovered her they desperately tried to save her.
“They came running out with the dog, it was not responding, breathing. We started CPR on it. Tubed it. We did everything we could,” said firefighter Mike Sheets.
Sadly, she did not survive despite those efforts.
“One of our sayings is ‘we save lives and property.' We've been doing it since 1912. We treat everyone the same, pets, animals. We treated that dog the same way we'd treat a family member or anyone else in the public,” said Fort Lauderdale Asst. Fire Chief Gregory May. “We gave that dog a fighting chance,” he said
It's a tough loss for those who tried to save her, and devastating to those who loved her.
“Genevieve, she's my baby,” said Jessica Jones.
“Just the brightest smile, so friendly. She loved everybody,” she said.
Neibors4Neighbors has set up a page to help the Jones family. Click here if you would like to help.
