A local school counselor and his family are reeling as they recover from a fire that killed two of their dogs and left another missing.
Charles Devlin, a counselor at Sierra Vista High School, was vacationing in Japan with his wife, Aida, and daughter Alexandria when a fire broke out June 2 in their home in the 9300 block of Borough Park Street, near Blue Diamond Road and South Durango Drive, in the southwest Las Vegas Valley.
The fire killed two of the family’s dogs, Loki and Juno, and left a third, Pele, missing. As of Tuesday, she still had not been found. Most of the family’s belongings were also destroyed.
The family had planned the trip to Japan for three years, and left on May 29. Although the fire happened four days into that long-awaited voyage, they opted to finish their vacation, arriving back in the U.S. on June 16.
“There was nothing for us to come home to,” Devlin said. “We went through paces of trying to enjoy the vacation. There were moments of joy mixed in, but then reality hits you. You see a dog, and you’re gone again.”
He said cutting the trip short would not have made sense financially.
“It wouldn’t have been cost-effective to come home,” Devlin said. “We knew we couldn’t get in the house because of the investigation. We knew we’d just be staying in a hotel.”
‘Absolute chaos’
Devlin said he hired house sitters — an Italian couple visiting the United States — through MindMyHouse, a platform where homeowners post their homes and house sitters apply to reside in them while the owners are away. International travelers often use the platform as a way to travel around the country and stay somewhere for free in exchange for house and pet sitting.
The Clark County Fire Department responded to the blaze with a total of 39 personnel, a county spokesperson said.
“No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported; however, a search of the residence uncovered two deceased dogs,” county spokesperson Christine Crews said in an email Tuesday. “The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
Devlin said he was told by fire officials the cause was a recalled battery pack. The couple were using the pack to charge their phones while out running errands, he said. Their Italian passports were also burned.
“It’s unfortunate what happened to these folks,” Devlin said. “Nothing against them.”
Right after watching the Vegas Golden Knights’ thrilling victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the first game of the Stanley Cup Final, Devlin — in a celebratory mood — received a frantic FaceTime call from the couple.
“You could see the flames coming out through the front door of my house,” Devlin said. “Neighbors calling my wife’s phone. Just absolute chaos.”
The house contained a pet door leading to the backyard, but unfortunately, Loki and Juno could not reach it. Devlin was informed their bodies had been found by firefighters about an hour after the initial call.
Uncertain future
Devlin said his insurer approved 20 months of apartment living. He does not know when he and his family will return home, and a contractor told him the house will be gutted.
A GoFundMe, set up by a co-worker to help the family rebuild, had raised nearly $9,000 as of Tuesday evening.
“It blows my mind, we look at this and it goes up $1,000, a couple hundred dollars every couple of hours,” Devlin said. “I’ve seen students’ names. I know my kids don’t have any money, but they’re throwing in $25. Everybody coming together to help is mind-boggling.”
Contact Alex Streinger at astreinger@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5505. Follow @AlexPStreinger on X.
