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Dog Perishes In Lutz House Fire

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TBO.com

Published: November 29, 2008

Updated: 11/29/2008 07:02 pm

A family of five in Lutz rushed home today to find 2009 Wallace Road in flames, everything in it destroyed and their pet dog and rabbit dead, according to the American Red Cross.

Firefighters arrived at the house – which county records show is owned by Joseph and Debra Tripp – around 2 p.m. and found it fully engulfed in flames.

No one was home at the time, but the Tripp family – the parents, a 22-year-old son, a 10-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old daughter – later returned to find firefighters battling the blaze.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, with assist from Pasco County units, put out the fire but were unable to save the pets, or the computer the son was using to prepare his graduate school thesis, according to the Red Cross.

The family is receiving help from the American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter, according to spokeswoman Abi Weaver. Left with nothing but charred rubble and emotional scars, the family plans to stay with relatives as they cope with their losses, Weaver said in a media release.

She did not know the names of the family members or the pets. A call to the family, placed by Weaver, was not immediately answered.

According to the release:

The Red Cross contacted a mental health professional, who volunteers with the nonprofit, to help console the family. Caseworkers also provided them with funds to replace clothing, shoes, prescription medications and groceries lost in the fire.

There are no hydrants in the area, and water had to be shuttled in by water tenders.

Officials are still trying to determine what sparked the blaze.

Meanwhile, a Largo family also lost its home today in a fire on 114th Avenue North, according to the Red Cross.

A couple, their adult son and 82-year-old mother will receive a temporary hotel stay as well as funds to replace clothing and food from the Red Cross, according to the release.

There are no hydrants in the area, and water is being shuttled in by water tenders.

Pasco County units are helping with the blaze. There are 10 units on scene with three water tenders and 25 firefighters.

Officials are still investigating what sparked the fire.

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