A family of four was rescued in the early hours of Tuesday after a fire erupted at the top floor of a residential building in Ghaziabad’s Avantika. However, the bodies of their three dogs — two German Shepherds and a Husky — were found after the blaze, which gutted the flat, was doused.According to chief fire officer (CFO) Rahul Pal, the fire started in the drawing room while the family was sleeping in one of the other rooms and quickly engulfed the flat, leaving them no safe way to leave. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)Fire department officials said they received a call regarding a first at SK Homes at 3:09am. The fire had erupted on the third floor which is occupied by a 52-year-old man, his wife (46), and their two children, (20) and (18).The other families on the other two floor were not affected.According to chief fire officer (CFO) Rahul Pal, the fire started in the drawing room while the family was sleeping in one of the other rooms and quickly engulfed the flat, leaving them no safe way to leave.“One of our fire officers was on call with them, and he asked them to come to the balcony and take shelter along the walls,” he said, adding that the officers made sure they didn’t jump off the five-feet wide balcony in panic.After fire tenders reached the spot, they used ladders to rescue the family. “The firemen then broke the gates of the flat and doused the fire within an hour,” the CFO said.That is when the bodies of the dogs were found. “They probably died due to suffocation and could not find a way out. Their bodies were taken out and handed over to the family,” the CFO added.A short-circuit is suspected to have caused the fire, however, this would only be confirmed after an official investigation. Their entire flat was gutted, according to the CFO and neighbours.“They went away to their relatives as nothing was left in their flat. All household item were damaged in the fire,” Pushpendra Singh, one of the neighbours told HT.“The family loved their pets too much, and these pets were friendly to everyone in the building. Two were German Shepherds and one a Husky. Their bodies were taken out and buried by the family. They were very pained to see them dead,” Singh added.