CLEAR LAKE, IOWA—Flames level a Clear Lake area building and its owner is grateful that some strangers took the time to save his hunting dogs.
At around 2:30 Monday afternoon some people driving by Kevin Terwilliger’s home in the 4400 block of 4th Avenue south noticed smoke and discovered a fire in a backyard shed.
Terwilliger said they knocked on his door, but no one was home at the time.
Then the 3, unidentified men rescued his 4 German Short Hair hunting dogs and placed them safely in a nearby building.
They were trapped in the smoke and flames inside of a kennel attached to the outside of the garage.
Terwilliger said the men cut the wire on the kennel and freed the dogs.
“I want to thank those guys from the bottom of my heart,” he said, “not a lot of people would have done that.”
Terwilliger said he had several vehicles inside the shop.
His son-in-law had a hot-rod pickup he was restoring; Terwilliger said he had a dirt bike, 2 snowmobiles and tools inside as well.
A Clear Lake Fire Lieutenant said the shed was a mass of flames when they arrived.
The fire destroyed everything inside and there is no estimate on the dollar loss.
Clear Lake Fire officials had no word on a possible cause of the fire.
No one was hurt.
“I don’t care about the building, it can be replaced,” said Terwilliger, “but life can’t.”
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