Despite loss of ‘everything,’ Bluffton fire victims grateful their dogs survived

A Bluffton couple who apparently lost everything in a mid-morning blaze at their Lakes at Edgewater apartment are grateful firefighters were at least able to rescue their two dogs.

Mark and Christine Eden were not home when the fire broke out in the first-floor apartment they moved into in October. The complex is off Bluffton Parkway.

“I got a call at work telling me my house was on fire,” Mark Eden said. “All I could think about was the dogs.”

As residents of the apartments stood outside, and as smoke billowed around the complex, firefighters signaled Eden and his wife Christine to come closer.

Firefighters had found their dogs, Lexis and Cadence, alive in a back bedroom.

“The family probably lost everything but their two pets,” Capt. Randy Hunter of the Bluffton Township Fire District said. He said that, despite the loss, it was “good to see ... that something positive happened.”

Hunter said the dogs were lethargic when rescued by firefighters but soon “perked up” at the sight of their owners.

The fire was reported around 10:15 a.m. in Building 11. The cause of the fire had not been determined, Hunter said on Thursday.

The Edens’ unit and the one above it appeared to have extreme damage, and Hunter said the entire building had some damage.

The American Red Cross is assisting 17 people — a total of eight families — who were affected by the fire, according to a Red Cross news release.

The families will be provided with food, clothing and comfort kits containing personal hygiene items and other essentials. Lodging options for the families are being considered.

Fire marshals will investigate the cause of the fire, Hunter said.

A cat and and a guinea pig also were rescued by firefighters from other apartments.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Despite loss of ‘everything,’ Bluffton fire victims grateful their dogs survived."