A Wesley Jones, Pinstripes Photography Photo

PHARSALIA – Last week on Wednesday a fire destroyed a family’s home and two individuals barely escaped harm, but thanks to the support from their community – the family may be able to rebuild faster than expected.

According to Chenango County Chief Dispatcher A Wesley Jones, at approximately 2:40 p.m. on July 18 the Chenango County 911 center received a report of a house fire at Maple Hill Farm on County Road 10 in Pharsalia New York.

He said multiple calls reported a fully involved two story residence, and the Pharsalia chief arrived a few minutes later and reported seeing fire coming from several different parts of the home.

“One of the Bartlett’s children and a friend of his were the only ones at home when the fire broke out,” said the family’s go-fund-me organizer Catherine Murphy.

Murphy said the two were awakened from a nap by sudden urgent barking of the family’s three beloved dogs, and the two ran downstairs to find the house filling with smoke and flames appearing through the bottom of a closed basement door.

“They barely escaped from the house before it went up in flames, and they couldn’t save two of the three dogs who had saved them,” she said.

She added Andy Bartlett, Maureen Bartlett, and their other two sons came home to find their home completely destroyed, with everything inside burned to ashes.