A husband and wife were taken to the hospital following a massive house fire in Murfreesboro early Friday.
Officials said the blaze started around 2 a.m. in a dog house before spreading to the deck and then the home on Watauga Way.
Eight people, four adults and four children were asleep inside when they were woken up by one of the family's dogs.
The two homeowners are being treated for smoke inhalation. One of their dogs died in the fire.
Their niece, along with her husband and four children, were also staying at the home. The Knoxville family was in town for an academic competition at Franklin Road Christian school.
Family members spent Friday trying to salvage anything they could after the fire.
"Everything in their life is in here, so it's 99-percent gone," Susan Hancock said.
Hancock, her husband and four children were visiting her uncle and aunt, Bobby and Juanita Morehead. They were all asleep when they were jolted awake by the family's dog, Oso.
"If the dog hadn't woke me up, we probably would have been clawing to get out," Hancock said.
Everyone thought they had made it out until they realized Juanita Morehead was still inside.
"We thought she was gone," Hancock said. "And then we heard her voice."
Bobby and Juanita Morehead were taken to the hospital after being overcome by smoke.
"He has some scar tissue on his lungs and some prior health conditions," said Travis Roberts, a family member. "They wanted to take him and observe him, make sure he was OK. They are thinking now she may have burned her throat and lungs due to smoke inhalation."
Family members said the Moreheads have been through a lot in the last decade. Their three sons were all in the military. Two of them died, one from cancer and another in an accident while serving overseas. One of their dogs, a miniature Pinscher named Speedy, died in the fire.
"To have a devastating fire like this is a lot to take in," Roberts said. "A lot for anyone to go through."
Fire officials are still investigating what sparked the blaze.
Family members have established a GoFundMe account to help the Moreheads get back on their feet. For more information, click here.
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