Jacksonville woman loses 13-year-old Chihuahua in house fire

A Jacksonville woman is warning others after she says a mistake sent her home up in flames, killing her 13-year-old Chihuahua.

Barbara Bassett said she was sharing her oxygen with her dog when her cigarette sparked a fire at her home on Necia Drive.

“I tried so hard to get him out of that fire,” Bassett said.

She said a part of the cigarette fell on the tubing of the oxygen.

“I heard this noise and I looked down and my feet were on fire,” she said.

She said she tried to put the fire out with a garbage pail, but the smoke got too thick.

“I kept hollering ‘Herc’ and I couldn’t see nothing by then. It was black,” Bassett said. “I’m praying to God to get me out.”

Photos from Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department show firefighters working to put out the flames.

“I’m screaming, 'Get my dog. Get my dog.' And they told me they couldn’t find my dog,” Bassett said.

The charred oxygen tank sits outside her house.

Bassett said she got Hercules after her son died. They spent 13 years together.

“God sent me Hercules to fill a hole in my heart and Hercules did every bit of that plus more,” Bassett said.

She said she never should’ve gone inside with the cigarette.

“I have nightmares about it. I feel like I played a hand in killing my dog,” Bassett said.

She said she was able to salvage one thing from the debris -- Hercules’ identification card.

“If that ain’t Hercules and the good Lord trying to tell smokers don’t smoke around oxygen, there will never be another message,” Bassett said.

Bassett's sister set up a GoFundMe account to help her get back on her feet.

Cox Media Group