Fire destroys Watervliet home, kills family rescue dog

A family is picking-up the pieces after a fire sparked in its Watervliet home, killing a recently adopted rescue dog.

The blaze broke out around 3:30 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of W. Pleasant St., that's about two blocks from the Watervliet Volunteer Fire Department.

A neighbor tells NewsCenter 16 she surfing the Internet inside her home when she heard a loud "pop." When she turned around, a plume of thick black smoke was pouring from the house next door.

Homeowners Dale and Laurie Lesauskis were inside the house at the time. Eyewitnesses say Laurie grabbed a water hose as Dale dialed 911.

The scorcher proved to be a challenge for firefighters who spent nearly four hours fighting the blaze, which kept re-igniting and eventually spread to the attic.

Although an investigation is still ongoing, a neighbor says the husband and wife had been working on a remodeling project in the front porch of the home moments before the "pop" was heard and the fire seen.

Although Vic, a male German Shepherd Corgi mix, made it out alive, the couple could not get to its rescue dog Kale in time.

The home is expected to be a total loss.

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Fire destroys Watervliet home, kills family rescue dog