Woman, dog displaced after Fort Lauderdale home goes up in flames

A woman and her dog are without a safe place to live ahead of this holiday season as their home went up in flames early Thursday morning.

The residential fire was sparked around 5:00a.m., in the area of 650 Arizona Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

The homeowner, Cheryl Clayton, said she was sleeping with her service dog when the fire alarms went off.

She said she had to run into her burning home a total of four times to find to gather as many valuables as she could before finding her phone and calling 911.

“I never been through a fire before. It’s awful. It’s not right. I can’t take any more stress. It’s too much,” said Cheryl. “My life has been so stressful lately and it’s just like the straw that’s trying to break the camel’s back. But I am going to keep my faith.”

Though she tried to get help from her neighbors, many of them were unwilling, one even becoming irate with her.

By the time Fire Rescue arrived Cheryl and her dog had safely evacuated the home.

Officials said though the house was filled with heavy smoke, they did not locate an active fire.

Crews opened windows to ventilate the home.

The interior of home suffered extensive damage, the items were charred and the walls were covered in soot.

Some of Cheryl’s belongings were lost in the fire.

The cause of the fire remains unclear.

A GoFundMe was created on Cheryl’s behalf as her home will be uninhabitable for some time. If you would like to donate, click here.