13 dogs perish in house fire

WILLOW — Family members of a couple left homeless, and whose 13 dogs perished in a house fire Monday opened a GoFundMe account online to help the family.

Firefighters responded about 12:30 p.m. to an address along North Blackie Loop for reports of a structure fire in a two-story log cabin. The house was already rated a total loss by the time firefighters responded, said Deputy Director of Emergency Services for Fire Ken Barkley.

Homeowners reported the dog fatalities separately. A homeowner told firefighters he was spared just in the knick of time, Barkley said.

“He’s still not sure what woke him,” he said.

The house also did not contain a functioning smoke detector, Barkley said.

Willow has been at the center of numerous debates about fire service and response times lately. However, the main reason the fire burned the house before firefighters could respond was the fact that one of the homeowners was sleeping when the blaze began, and awoke only after the fire had already developed, he said.

“(There were) already flames coming out front and back,” Barkley said.

Firefighters were on location within minutes of receiving the report, he said.

A GoFundMe page for Nicholas Kimlinger and Dianne Maythorne, established by family, has raised more than $8,400. The family also has two horses, which were not injured in the fire.

For more information, or to donate, visit bit.ly/1AJVpaS.