A 72-year-old Liberty County woman lost her home and three of her dogs Thursday night when a fire raced through her residence in the 1800 block of Mount Olivet Church Road in the Fleming community.
The fire began shortly after 9 p.m., and Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Shawn Fields was at the scene within a few minutes of receiving a report of a structure fire. When he arrived, Fields said, smoke was pouring from the rear of the single-story home.
“When I got to the scene, I made sure there was no one in the home. All the occupants were able to get out safely,” he said. “The woman who lived there told me some of her dogs were still inside the home. I went to the location where one of the dogs was located, broke the windows and tried to get him, but the flames were very intense and I was not able to retrieve the dog who was laying on a bed.”
When fire units from Fleming, Lake George and Midway arrived, flames were shooting through the roof of the residence.
Renee Sellers identified the 72-year-old woman as her mother, Stella Sellers. Renee Sellers said her mother was using a gas stove to cook dinner when the fire broke out. When the fire got out of control, it reached a cabinet above the stove, causing a bottle of olive oil to explode, which spread the fire throughout the house.
According to her daughter, Stella Sellers raised Chihuahua dogs and had 13 in the house at the time of the fire. Two were found dead, and another one missing, also presumed to be dead.
Woman loses home, dogs to fire
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