MERRIAM, KS (KCTV) -
Two Merriam families returned home Saturday afternoon to find the duplex they share destroyed by fire. Crews were fast to get to the blaze, but the homes could be a total loss.
"It's the worst thing to ever happen," Melanie Melendez said of having her home destroyed in a fire.
Melendez was back-to-school shopping with her kids and came home shortly after 1:30 p.m. to the terrible scene of charred and smoking building remains at her duplex located on West 49th Street near Grandview.
"The whole house was engulfed in flames," she said.
Fighting the Merriam, KS, duplex fire was a dangerous task for firefighters.
"We couldn't put crews on the inside immediately because of the amount of fire," Assistant Chief Doug Crockett with the Merriam Fire Department said.
Part of the center of the building's roof even collapsed under the extreme flames. Crews first battled the blaze from the outside, until it was safe to go in. Once inside, they found and rescued several pets, from both sides of the duplex.
"Three lizards and a dog so far, yes," Crockett said.
Diamond, one of the family's pets, had a close call.
"She was in her kennel in an upstairs bedroom, they gave her a little bit of oxygen and she perked right up," Tisha Hunt said of Diamond.
But the Melendez family is still missing their cats, and their side of the duplex has the worst damage.
It's unclear if the home is a total loss, but the family's loss is certain and, overwhelmed, they're looking for a new place to stay.
Click here for more photos from the scene of the fire.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
Photo Courtesy: KCTV5's Brenda Poor
