Family, Dog, Displaced By Worcester Fire Needs New Home

WORCESTER, MA—Kayleigh Rankovic woke up around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, to find firetrucks surrounding her home.

She and her boyfriend Sean Goulet, kids Madison, 7, Ethan, 5, and her dog Zues, were in there, too. They all realized very quickly that the building at 74 West St. was on fire.

Rankovic and her family is one of 15 displaced by the three-alarm fire, which overtook everything.

"We are so blessed to even be here," Rankovic told Patch. "The fire went up from the basement to my apartment in the matter of seconds. Due to the fire-this being the second in a Northeast Property-in a year, I am now terrified to live in anything that I can't safely jump out with my children if need be."

That includes her dog, Zues. The two-year-old pup was caught in the fire for five hours, and miraculously survived. Zues was transported to Tufts Animal Hospital, where he stayed for three days on oxygen, an ulcer on his eye and minimal burns.

"This dog is a miracle pup," said Rankovic. "I'm looking for justice served to Felicio [the building's owner], and I'm also on the hunt for a home that will accept Zues. Right now we are staying in Webster with my mother, but she is moving to South Carolina next month, so we need to find a place STAT."

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