A fire gutted the inside of a Kings Mountain mobile home and destroyed nearly everything in it on Tuesday.

Teresa Edwards stood yards from her burning home on Bethlehem Road, waiting and hoping in vain that firefighters would rescue the dog that saved her life.

“I love him. I hope he is still OK,” Edwards said. “I haven't seen him.”

She said she was asleep in her bed as the flames spread. Her 3-year-old Pomeranian named Tanner knew something was wrong.

“The dog woke me up,” Edwards said. “He started barking and the smoke had come all the way to the bedroom.”

Investigators said the fire started in a heating unit a couple of rooms away.

“My first instinct was to run to the front door,” Edwards said.

When she got outside, she realized Tanner and her five cats were still inside.

“I screamed for somebody to call 911,” she said.

Neighbor James Carroll heard the cries for help. He called 911 and ran to Edwards' front door.

“Flames was already in the living room. When I opened it up, it just gusted out,” he said.

He said he heard the animals running around inside, but there was no way to help them.

“It's terrible,” Carroll said. “It's terrible for the lady.”

Edwards does not have insurance. She said she doesn't care about the items she lost, but wishes she still had her cats and the dog that saved her life. They never made it out.

Edwards had a group of friends to provide emotional support for her almost immediately after the fire. They said they will also provide a place for her to stay until she gets back on her feet.