By PETE BANDA
Special to the NEWS
Lonnie Riek can still remember hearing his dog bark in the middle of the night. It was that barking that woke him up from his sleep just in time to escape the flames without injury. Riek managed to grab his phone before darting for the door, but wasn’t able to grab his wallet. With no immediate family in the area, Riek is now just hoping to be able to clear out the lot to sell and recoup enough money to live out his days with his dog.
“I woke up from the barking and heard some popping and then saw the flames,” said Riek. “I thought I grabbed my wallet, but that got left behind. I had to break a window just to get out, but I couldn’t get my dog to come with me… I thought I had lost her and that was probably the saddest part.”
According to Riek, firefighters eventually came on the scene and were able to locate his dog and help her escape. She ran out of the house and bolted down the street. Riek eventually found his dog at a friend’s house a few blocks down the street.
The house, which was bought by the Riek family all the way back in 1973, burned down, most likely due to electrical failure. While Riek has nowhere permanent to stay, a lifelong friend has been helping him get through this time.
“I’ve known Jeff since about the fourth or fifth grade and when he found out what happened, he wanted to help as much as he could,” said Riek.
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