TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa couple said a faulty surge protector caused their home to catch fire last week.
George Pacich and his girlfriend, Daisy, were not home when the fire started around 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Tampa Fire Rescue responded to the blaze.
George said when he arrived at the house, firefighters had put out the fire and heavy smoke was pouring from the roof.
"It was chaos, but controlled chaos, and my first inclination was to tell them we had animals inside. The fire department went in and rescued our large pit bull/boxer dog and four cats," he said.
Related: Several pets saved from burning home by Tampa Fire Rescue
George is grateful to the firefighters who rescued his animals. The cats survived. He said their dog, Lily, died from her injuries a few days later.
"Our dog, Lily, unfortunately, succumbed to her injuries. She had too much lung damage, burns and after about three days at Blue Pearl, we had to put her down," he said.
The couple lost their clothes and all of their possessions, but they said losing their pet was worse than losing their home.
"Worse than losing the house. She was innocent. I'm sure it was terrifying for her and the fact that the fire department did rescue her and for a time that night, she seemed okay but just declined is even more heartbreaking. We felt we were out of the woods with that," he said.
George said they are grateful for the outpouring of support from neighbors, co-workers and strangers. A GoFundMe page has raised nearly $15,000.
George's brother, Mark Pacich, is a Tampa native and a professional artist in Orlando. He is raffling off artwork to support his brother and Daisy.
"He has a raffle on his artwork that is all going to be contributed to our recovery."
The couple is also grateful to a neighbor who offered them a place to stay.
"We have donations of clothing. We've had a neighbor who graciously has always helped us. He's helping us now with letting us use his Airbnb, only about a mile or two away, that's a blessing completely," said George.
"Healing takes time, but it's on our time...They have been very helpful and it's helped us to move forward."
To learn more about the couple's story, click here.
To learn more about the artwork and raffle visit: MarkPacich_art.
Outraged neighbors of a Pasco County subdivision tell ABC Action News Investigator Adam Walser that their homeowners’ association and the tow company it contracted to enforce parking laws are going too far.
