Tragedy has struck for actress Caterina Scorsone and her family. The Grey's Anatomy star recently revealed on Instagram that a massive fire ravaged the home she shared with her three young daughters. Fortunately, Caterina was able to get her children to safety, but the same can't be said for the family's beloved pets.
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Caterina shared her heartbreaking story with fans on Monday.
The television star posted a photo of the devastating fire damage before explaining the terrifying experience that she and her family recently went through.
"A couple of months ago my house burned down," she explained in her Instagram post. "While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub. When I looked down the hallway, a river of thick black smoke had already formed and was filling the house."
Things quickly went from bad to worse for Caterina's family.
It doesn't sound like Caterina had much time to think before she had to rush out the door with her girls. "One thing about fires: They happen fast," her post continued. "I had about two minutes to get my three kids out of the house, and we escaped with less than shoes on our feet. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful."
Although her girls all made it to safety, sadly the family pets did not.
"Heartbreakingly, we lost all four of our pets," Caterina wrote. "We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all."
Her post featured several photos of their cats and dogs — including 6-year-old Paloma "Pippa" Michaela, 10-year-old Eliza, and 3-year-old Lucky — playing at home.
Caterina didn't want to focus on the fire but instead on what happened after the blaze was put out.
She noted that her post was not "about a fire" but instead a community that rallied around her and her family when they needed it most.
"This is a love letter to the incredible people who showed up and the incredible ways that they did," she wrote. "Thank you to the firefighters and the investigators. Thank you to my neighbor who answered our frantic knocks at her door."
Caterina also praised the school community and her friends and coworkers at Grey's Anatomy who helped her with much-needed supplies.
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The family of four has a lot to be thankful for.
Not every story like this has a happy ending, so we're glad that Caterina and her daughters were able to make it out unharmed, even if they lost their precious four-legged family members in the process.
"What we learned is that the only thing that matters are the people (and beings) that you love," Caterina concluded her post. "The only thing that matters is community. We would not be here without it and we are so grateful. Thank you."
