A Westside family is thankful to firefighters who rescued their seven dogs from a house fire Sunday afternoon.

The Floyd family was at church when fire broke out at their home on Columbus Avenue. Their Chihuahuas were inside at the time.

"They was our blessing," Lenita Floyd said of the firefighters who rescued her dogs. "I call (the dogs) my babies. That house can be replaced, but my babies can't. That's what they are: They are babies."

"It was really something to watch because they were so dedicated. I was amazed that they spent that much time on animals," family friend Yvonne Angus said of the firefighters.

Firefighters said they think the cause of the fire was an electrical problem. Floyd said her family was four payments away from owning the home.

The fire started in 19-year-old Kendra Floyd's bedroom.

"Clothes-wise, her room was completely totaled. She has nothing," said Lenita, Kendra's mother.

The family is in need of help, not just to put clothes on their backs, but they're worried about the health of their dogs after inhaling the smoke.

"We're on a fixed income and we have seven (dogs), and so that's really hard," Lenita said.

Friends and family say although the fire was devastating, it could have been much worse.

"I knew the house would be secondary to them, and it was all they were worried about was, all anybody was worried about was the puppies," Angus said.

The Floyd family said they're just glad all seven of their "babies" are alive.

A VyStar account has been set up for donations to help the family. The account number is 702953613.