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Dogs, parrot rescued after Tampa home catches fire on Thanksgiving

Ring doorbell video records Tampa house fire
Posted at 8:39 PM, Nov 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-28 23:17:01-05

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Fire Rescue responded to a home engulfed in flames Thursday evening.

Around 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, a Ring doorbell video showed a home in Tampa in flames. Tampa Fire and Rescue said 75 percent of the home was on fire when they got on scene.

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The family that lives there was not home, but all of their pets, which included two dogs, two cats and a parrot, were inside.

Firefighters said the parrot was in a cage in the backyard and survived. Both dogs were able to escape the blaze, but firefighters believe the cats did not survive. One was found dead in the home, and the other hasn't been located.

Neighbors gave the dogs water to try and calm them down and offered to put them up in a hotel. The homeowners told us they were going to stay with family that lives in the area.

"Just thinking of how I can help them how I can minister to them," said Dub Darville, a witness.

Darville is visiting family from out of town. He said he heard loud pops and came outside to see the carport on fire.

"There's a car over there, so you don't know if it's going to explode or if that's what exploded," Darville said. "On this day, Thanksgiving, where we all have much to be thankful for. What can I do to help them? To make them thankful for neighbors?"

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.