A June 2 house fire at a Mountain’s Edge home killed two dogs and left a third missing while the owners were thousands of miles away on a long-planned trip to Japan.
Charles Devlin, a counselor at Sierra Vista High School, was vacationing with his wife Aida and daughter Alexandria when the blaze broke out at their home on the 9300 block of Borough Park Street, near Blue Diamond Road and South Durango Drive in the southwest Las Vegas Valley.
Two of the family’s dogs, Loki and Juno, died in the fire, and a third dog, Pele, went missing and had not been found as of June 24.
The Devlins had hired house sitters through MindMyHouse, a platform where homeowners post their homes for international travelers to stay in exchange for pet and property care.
Devlin said fire officials told him the cause was a recalled battery pack the sitters were using to charge their phones while out running errands.
The Clark County Fire Department responded to the blaze with 39 personnel. No human injuries were reported.
The family had planned the Japan trip for three years and departed on May 29.
After receiving a frantic FaceTime call from the house sitters while celebrating the Vegas Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup Final victory, Devlin watched flames coming out his front door through the video.
He said the family opted to complete their vacation rather than return early, since the home was inaccessible during the fire investigation and they would have been left staying in a hotel.
“There was nothing for us to come home to,” Devlin told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“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.”
The family arrived back in the United States on June 16 to a home that will need to be gutted, according to a contractor. Their insurer approved 20 months of apartment living while repairs are made.
A GoFundMe set up by a co-worker had raised nearly $9,000 as of June 24, with donations coming in from students and community members. The Devlins said seeing their students contribute had been overwhelming.
For Las Vegas dog owners who travel, the case is a reminder of the risks of leaving pets in the care of others and the importance of smoke detectors, pet doors, and emergency plans.
Earlier this month, North Las Vegas firefighters rescued two dogs from a house fire after a bathroom exhaust fan sparked a blaze that destroyed a family’s roof, a reminder that not every fire story ends in tragedy when escape routes are accessible.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Pele, the Devlin family’s missing dog, is encouraged to contact The Animal Foundation at (702) 384-3333.
Dog Friendly Las Vegas features articles, business and event information created based on information provided directly by third-parties. While we make every effort to represent this information accurately, we are unable to independently verify all claims. Readers are encouraged to confirm details directly with businesses before making decisions.
