After a fire destroyed their home last Friday, the Herbst family says losing items such as hunting trophies and family heirlooms does not compare to the fire killing two of their family dogs.
"I just remember opening the door and being engulfed in blackness. It's like walking into a room with all the lights off. I can't even describe it," said Connie Herbst.
She lives with her husband Gary, who is a retired Helena Police Department K9 officer.
Their home was on Three Mile Road northwest of Helena, and they lived there with their granddaughter and her mother.
Connie said, "I actually grew up here. I've been here for about 30 years now. My kids grew up here. My grandkids grew up here."
On the morning of Friday, July 19th, Connie says she was watering her garden when her 8-year-old granddaughter yelled for her, saying flames were coming from the house.
"I thought about my dogs immediately. [The] first thing that came to my mind was that they were in there," said Connie.
After trying to get into the home to save the two German Shepherds, Libby and Bryant, Connie went to her parent's home since her phone and keys were in the burning house.
She then called 911 at 10:15 AM.
Since Gary used to work for the police force, dispatch called him while he was at his current job with the Department of Justice.
Gary said, "Dispatched called and they said everybody was out of the house. They told me there was still dogs in there and that killed me. Driving home and listening to everything going on [from] my work radio in my work car, and I heard them say the house was fully engulfed [and] two vehicles are fully engulfed, and I'm thinking 'crap.' Then I hear there are still dogs trapped in the house, and I just start screaming at the car."
The Herbst's say over five fire departments responded, with the first one showing up roughly 15 minutes after Connie made the initial call.
Libby and Bryant's remains were found and taken to the humane society to be cremated and returned to the Herbst family.
Connie said, "Libby was about seven, and Bryant was about nine months. Libby was so sweet. We called her 'kissy face' because she just loved affection and licking all over your face like a wild animal. And Bryant [was] just so sweet and endearing. Out of all the stuff we lost in that house, those two were by far the most important."
Connie says an electrical fire started in her granddaughter's room and grew to destroy the house.
The couple also ran a wedding venue on their property, and while their home was the only structure damaged by the fire, they had to cancel their last wedding for the season.
The Herbst family is currently living in their garage and trying to get their water and energy back on.
After the fire, they learned that none of the items in the home were covered by insurance.
"We got a few photo albums, but other than that, pretty much everything in the house is gone. It's total destruction in there," Gary said.
The Herbst family is planning to tear down and rebuild the home once they speak with an insurance adjuster.
Friends of the family put up a fundraiser on GoFundMe. The goal is to raise $10,000 to replace some of the items lost in the fire.
