4 dogs die in Ranger home fire

    Ranger – Four dogs died during a residential fire over the weekend.
    “[The building] was pretty much gone when we got to it,” Ranger Fire Chief Mike Taylor said. “The top floor had already caved in by the time we got there.”
    Firefighters arrived at 255 Hilltop Lane around 12:30 p.m. Saturday after a neighbor reported the blaze. Officials say only a small section of the home’s top wall remained standing by the time firefighters arrived at the property.
    “There was nothing we could salvage or save,” Taylor said. “We told the homeowner the best thing to do was to let it burn out.”
    Authorities say no one was home when the fire started. However, four dogs inside the property did not survive.
    “They were actually out buying furniture,” Taylor said about the residents. “They came home with a new couch on the back of their truck and found their house had burned down.”
Firefighters remained on scene for about three hours and used 20,000 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze. The cause of the fire remains unclear; however, officials have ruled out arson.
    “There was a fireplace [where it started], and he had his Christmas tree plugged up. So, it’s one of those two,” Taylor said. “According to them, the fireplace wasn’t in use. Maybe the dogs knocked over the Christmas tree or chewed the cord.
    “It could’ve been a million things. I have no way to determine exactly what happened.”