UPDATED: Family's pets survive Thanksgiving Eve fire

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UPDATED FRIDAY 5:35 P.M.

More than a day and a half after a fire destroyed a Waterford Township home, the family’s two dogs were found alive.

The dogs, which were in the home’s basement, were discovered early Friday by the fire marshal as he continued his investigation into the cause of the fire.

Homeowner Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, believing the dogs were dead, said he wanted to retrieve their bodies from the house on Thursday, but stayed out after the fire marshal warned him of the potential danger.

“Oh man, the kids are just (beside) themselves,” Haslett-Marroquin said Friday of his three children.

While the home’s ground level floor burned, it did not collapse, keeping the fire from traveling to the area where the dogs were.

The bigger of the two dogs, Amber, was checked out by a local vet and returned home. The family’s other dog, Katy, was taken to the University of Minnesota veterinary hospital where she remained Friday night.

Haslett-Marroquin was so certain that the dogs had perished in the fire that he dug their graves Thursday. As he and his family stood alongside the freshly dug pit, a singed page of a Spanish Bible, given to his wife by his sister, floated into the hole.

The discovery was an emotional one, he said Friday, his voice cracking at the remembrance.

“Nothing made it (from the fire). We’re not even sifting through,” he said, amazed that while the home’s entire contents are lost, their pets survived.

Haslett-Marroquin and his wife, Amy, were at home when the fire started about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

By the time fire fighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed, said Northfield Fire Chief Gerry Franek.

The home, on 315th Street in Waterford Township just north of the city, is a total loss. It will likely take several days before the cause of the fire is known.

The couple, along with their 8-year-old son, who was also home when the fire started, escaped unharmed.

“I’m still in a bit of denial,” Haslett-Marroquin said Thursday morning. “I still think the house is there, though intellectually I know it is not.”

Fighting the fire was tricky, said Franek. The winds blew embers toward nearby trees and there were concerns that several out buildings surrounding the home could catch fire, he said. High voltage lines adjacent to the property were also a concern for fire fighters.

Haslett-Marroquin said his family is staying with his in-laws in Northfield and have already received an outpouring of support from friends and neighbors.

“An empty feeling is juxtaposed with just those feelings of love,” he said.

“Everything happens for a reason, we just need to find it.”

—Suzanne Rook can be reached at 507-645-1113.

* * * *
UPDATED: FRIDAY 11:15 A.M.

More than a day and a half after a fire destroyed a Waterford Township home, the family’s two dogs were found alive.

The dogs, which had been in the home’s basement, were found early Friday by the fire marshal as he continued his investigation into the cause of the fire.

Homeowner Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, believing the dogs were dead, said he wanted to retrieve their bodies from the house on Thursday, but stayed out after the fire marshal warned him of the potential danger.

“Oh man, the kids are just (beside) themselves,” Haslett-Marroquin said of his three children.

While the home’s ground level floor burned, it did not collapse, keeping the fire from traveling to the area where the dogs were. And though there was several inches of water in the basement, the above normal night time temperatures may have helped keep the dogs from freezing to death.

Haslett-Marroquin and his wife, Amy, were at home when the fire started about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

By the time fire fighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed, said Northfield Fire Chief Gerry Franek.

The home, on 315th Street in Waterford Township just north of the city, is a total loss.

The fire marshal was at the scene of the fire Thursday morning, Franek said. It will likely take several days before the cause of the is known.

The couple, along with their 8-year-old son, who was also home when the fire started, escaped unharmed.

“I’m still in a bit of denial,” Haslett-Marroquin said Thursday morning. “I still think the house is there, though intellectually I know it is not.”

Fighting the fire was tricky, said Franek. The winds blew embers toward nearby trees and there were concerns that several out buildings surrounding the home could catch fire and, he said. High voltage lines adjacent to the property were also a concern for fire fighters.

Haslett-Marroquin said his family is staying with his in-laws in Northfield and have already received an outpouring of support from friends and neighbors.
“An empty feeling is juxtaposed with just those feelings of love,” he said.

“Everything happens for a reason, we just need to find it.”

* * * *

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin is counting his blessings this Thanksgiving Day following a late evening fire at his family’s Waterford home.

Haslett-Marroquin and his wife, Amy, were at home when the fire started about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

By the time fire fighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed, said Northfield Fire Chief Gerry Franek.

The home, on 315th Street just north of the city, is a total loss.

The couple, along with their 8-year-old son, who was also home when the fire started, escaped unharmed. The family’s dogs did not survive, said Haslett-Marroquin.

“I’m still in a bit of denial,” Haslett-Marroquin said Thursday morning. “I still think the house is there though intellectually I know it is not.”

Haslett-Marroquin said his family is staying with his in-laws in Northfield and have already received a Thanksgiving dinner invitation as well as an outpouring of support from friends and neighbors.

“An empty feeling is juxtaposed with just those feelings of love,” he said.

“Everything happens for a reason, we just need to find it.”

—Suzanne Rook can be reached at 645-1113.