The yelping of a puppy who died in the blaze that destroyed Elena Veronda's home haunts her as she hides in fear that the arsonist will strike again.
The single-wide where Veronda, her boyfriend and their pets made a life in Apache Junction was, according to police, the target of an intentional fire in the early morning of July 22. Flames took the life of Bruce, a 4-month-old Maston mixed breed, owned by a friend of the couple who was briefly staying with them. Veronda, her boyfriend and the pup's owner scrambled to find him, eventually leaving it to the firefighters.
"We could hear the dog barking, and then we couldn't hear him barking anymore," a weeping Veronda said of Bruce, who was found lifeless, hiding under his owner's bed. "He was scared."
A fire investigation report by Apache Junction Police Detective Richard Rivera determined the fire at the home, situated in the area of Cactus Road and Roosevelt Street, was an act of arson.
"The fire was intentionally ignited by a human applying an open flame to combustible material," Rivera's report read in part. As of Aug. 22, no arrest had been made in the case.
"We lost everything," Veronda said of her home of seven years and all the other property that burned with it.
Veronda, 56, said she and her boyfriend's monthlong displacement has led to mounting expenses involving repeated movement to avoid being targeted again by whoever started the fire.
Home ablaze, occupants scurried out
Veronda said she and her boyfriend were fast asleep when two loud bangs apparently woke her, and she saw a light shining through the bottom crack of a door and flickering on the bedroom wall. Turning to a window, fire could be seen as if emanating from a flame blower, she said.
Realizing their home was ablaze, the couple scurried to gather their two dogs, and Veronda went to alert their guest, she said.
"The house is on fire! Get out! Get your dog! Get up!" Veronda said she shouted through the guest bedroom door.
In the panicked rush, Veronda said, she and her boyfriend could not locate their phones, and the puppy was nowhere to be found.
First responders arrived on scene after neighbors dialed 911, she said.
"The neighbors were out there screaming and screaming. And by the time I looked out the house, it was engulfed in flames. I mean, it was just crazy," she said, reflecting on how she, her boyfriend, their friend and the couple's dogs made it out alive.
Firefighters rescued Shelldon, their 5-year-old turtle.
Couple struggles to feed trio of pets
Shelldon's aquarium and supplies were lost to the fire, downsizing the turtle's housing to a small, plastic bin.
"He's been traumatized. I'm really worried about him," Veronda said before breaking in tears, adding that Shelldon has stopped basking out of the water for his shell to absorb light and is refusing to be fed. "He's just not right."
As of Aug. 22, Veronda, her boyfriend and their female dogs — Ivory, a deaf, 3-year-old pit bull, and Precious, a 7-year-old coydog — remained without a long-term home, she said.
Veronda said she is disabled, while her boyfriend is a day laborer facing a work shortage. The couple had no renter's insurance and are struggling to feed their trio of pets. A GoFundMe set up to benefit the family is titled "Going on Faith" and remained short of its goal as of Aug. 22.
"We're broke," Veronda said, before adding, "I'm very thankful to be alive."
Still, as the arsonist remains on the loose, the horror of that night looms in her mind.
"I can still smell the smoke. I can still hear the crackling of the fire," she said as she sobbed.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Home burned down in Apache Junction, killing puppy. It was ruled arson
