A family in Council Bluffs who lost nearly everything in a mobile home fire in Council Bluffs on Tuesday is grateful their family and pets are alive.
Rose Dixon lived in the mobile home off 24th Street near I-80 with her husband, her daughter and son-in-law, and their four kids. The family also took care of a grown man.
Dixon and her family were not home at the time of the fire, which they were told was started by an electrical cable, but the man they take care of, Kevin, was. A neighbor called the Council Bluffs Fire Department and Dixon, who rushed home.
“It seemed like forever to get there. And then when you pull up and see all the flames, knowing that your animals and Kevin were in there – we didn’t know if they were okay,” said Dixon. “It was one of the worst moments ever.”
Kevin said he opened the house door when he realized the house was on fire, and told the family’s two oldest dogs to get out. He tried saving the puppies, but when he opened the door, fire rushed out.
It wasn’t until Dixon’s daughter, Jere Dickinson showed up at the house and told firefighters the puppies were in the first bedroom in a play pen.
“They did amazing,” said Dickinson. “As soon as they knew the puppies were in there, they rushed in and a while later, they came back out with the puppies.”
“The pups weren’t breathing though. The firefighters were working on them,” said Dixon. “They brought them back. They put oxygen on them – they were wonderful. If it wasn’t for them, the pups would’ve been gone.”
Some of the puppies had burns and rashes. The family says the vet told them the pups inhaled a lot of smoke and had to receive shots and are on antibiotics – the first phase of their recovery.
The City of Council Bluffs paid the tab for the family’s pets’ visit to the clinic as well as their medication; however, the family will have to pay future visits.
The family lost one cat and almost all of their belongings. Their home is now uninhabitable.
“My daughter’s kids lost their Christmas. All of their Christmas was in the fire – gift cards, presents, everything,” said Dixon.
While 3 News Now was with the family, strangers stepped in to help – dropping off clothing and some furniture.
“You get people coming and saying, well I’m sorry this isn’t in the best shape, but when you lose everything, anything is great to us right now,” said Dickinson.
The family is living with relatives right now. A GoFundMe was created by Dixon’s daughter to help the family get back on their feet.
