A Boston family has lost all of their belongings after a fire caused by a malfunctioning dryer broke out in their home early Monday morning.

Local bakery owners James Henderson, his wife Jennie, and their teenage son Charlie quickly evacuated their house when they began to smell smoke around 4:55 a.m. 

The Henderson family was taken to Hillcrest Hospital to be examined, and they all appeared to be well. 

“We’re just thankful that we made it out safely,” homeowner James Henderson says.

The family is heartbroken after losing all of their belongings in the fire. Their dog Jackie has yet to be found after running away from home. She is a yellow lab and collie mix. 

Fire Chief Rick Ramirez and his team were called to the scene at 5 a.m. by the Hendersons’ neighbor, Sandra O’Toole. The firemen arrived within minutes and fought the flames for two hours. Reports indicate that the cause was due to a dryer that malfunctioned and caught fire.  

The Hendersons did not hear any smoke alarms even though they had five alarms in their house. Ramirez noticed that none of them were functioning properly. 

“Not having working smoke alarms is a very common occurrence,” Ramirez says. “Over the course of my career, I’ve dealt with 10 similar cases.” 

There have been 10 fires in the area within the last six months. Most of them occurred in residential neighborhoods, and one occurred in an office building. In seven of the incidents, the smoke alarms were either malfunctioning or not being used at all.  

Free fire safety classes are offered at the local fire station every Saturday to educate the community and help people prepare for unexpected times such as this. 

A GoFundMe has been set up to help raise money for the Hendersons as they try to restore their lost belongings. 

“The worst part is losing our photos. Our memories were in that house,” Mrs. Henderson says. 

Boston family loses everything after house fire due to malfunctioning dryer. No one was hurt, but their dog, Jackie, is still missing after running away from home. #hendersonfamilyfire #localhousefire #missingdog