By By Adrienne McKenzie
A fire broke loose on 4th Avenue Friday night, claiming the lives of Billy and Linda Gates' six dogs, three birds and one cat, according to Atmore Fire &Rescue chief Gerry McGhee.
"We went in and got one dog and he's at the vet," McGhee said. "As of yesterday, he was doing OK. Kelley's Ambulance gave the dog oxygen and kept wetting it's nose."
Thankfully the Gates' were not at home at the time the fire broke lose so they were not injured themselves.
McGhee said the fire was contained in the kitchen and was maybe started by a kitchen appliance.
"We confined the fire to the kitchen," he said. "But, the house had a lot of smoke damage. It possibly started on the stove."
The Atmore Fire Department had 11 firefighters on the scene. The call came in at 9:43 p.m. and they arrived to the fire at 9:45 p.m. and left at 1 a.m. Kelley's Ambulance and the Atmore Police Department were also on hand to assist.
McGhee said his firefighters did the best they could at the Gates' home.
"Our men did a good job of stopping the fire," he said. "Everybody pulled together and got it done."