LAFAYETTE, La. — A family of five lost everything, including their dog, in a house fire Christmas afternoon.
According to the Lafayette Fire Department, on December 25, at 4:46 pm, Lafayette firefighters were dispatched to a house fire in the 400 block of Bellot Street. Several neighbors reported the fire after noticing smoke coming from the single-family dwelling.
Initial reports indicated that children may have been inside the home. After searching the home, firefighters confirmed that no one was inside. Unfortunately, the family's dog died in the fire, said Fire Chief Robert Benoit. The home sustained heavy fire damage.
The occupant and her four children were not home at the time of the fire; they had left a few hours earlier to visit family. All of their belongings, including most of their Christmas gifts, were destroyed in the fire, said Benoit.
Fire officials determined that the fire started in the living room.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
