'Everything we got is gone’: Nashville family loses all in house fire

NASHVILLE, Ga. (WALB) - A Nashville family of five is trying to recover after a fire claimed the lives of their two dogs, their home, and almost everything they owned.

The family said they woke to find their house engulfed in flames early Monday morning.

Ricky Ollice found his son trapped inside his room — that’s when he took a broken broom handle and attempted to break the window from the outside in an effort to save his life.

“In panic," Ollice recalled. “The terror in his face (and) him collapsing.”

Recalling the emotional moments, Ollice remembered seeing his son stuck inside the home, wanting nothing more than to save him and his pets.

“I just started beating at the window and the frame," Ollice said. “I could see him through the window, on the phone with 911.”

Eventually, he was able to break the window, get his son out and the other four people who were originally in the house to safety.

Sadly, Ollice said, his family is still suffering from the terrible loss of their two dogs, Smokey and Gizmo.

“They were good dogs. They didn’t want to leave. They just couldn’t make it out past the flames," said Ollice.

Along with everything that he and his family spent a lifetime collecting.

It’s just everything. Everything we had was in the house. Everything we got is gone."

But he maintains that all they can do now is try to move forward, thankful that at least a portion of his family remains intact.

“We just have to stick together, be a family, love each other, move on and rebuild," Ollice said.

The Nashville Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

That family has a GoFundMe posted for anyone who wishes to donate to help them get back on their feet.

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