COLUMBIA, Illinois — Illinois State Fire Marshals are investigating a fire that destroyed a home overnight Monday in Columbia, Illinois, that left two pets dead.
Columbia Fire Chief Mike Roediger said the fire happened just after 2 a.m. when the Weber family called 911 for help at their home on Charlotte Avenue in the Stonegate Estates neighborhood.
Lori and Skip Weber have three children, all of whom did not live in the home and were not there at the time of the fire.
Roediger said the couple made it out safely, but unfortunately, their two dogs died.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
5 On Your Side saw crews remain on the scene until about 1:15 p.m., and we saw small amounts of smoke lingering until then.
5 On Your Side also talked to one of the Weber daughters who told us she was heartbroken over the loss of her childhood home, but that "God is good ... because her parents are alive and well."
She added that it's just a house, and the people are what make it irreplaceable.
Many family, friends, and neighbors came by. Nearby neighbor Stacey Lawrence was one of those people.
“Just terrible to see so close to your house," he said.
Lawrence said he felt sorry for the family's loss of both their home and their pets.
“We used to walk our dogs around here, they had two large dogs," he said. "Not sure what kind of breed they were, but they were beautiful dogs.”
There is no further information provided at this time.
5 On Your Side will update this story as soon as information becomes available.
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