Animal trainer dies in house fire trying to save his dogs: "Those dogs were like his kids"

For a Detroit man, nothing was more important than the safety of his dogs, his family. Unfortunately, he died trying to save them. "This is his little baby right here," said Markchez Stokes holding a french bulldog, one of eight pups that survived a house fire thanks to her owner, Gary Majors.

Majors, who lived in a house on Detroit’s west side, managed to save eight of his 11 dogs from the burning home but tragically did not make it himself. "He loved dogs. he was trying to save the dogs," noted Louis Smart according to Fox2Detroit.

The incident unfolded a little after midnight, on Monday morning. Firefighters received a call about a house fire in Gardendale in the Green Acres neighborhood. Gary Majors’ home was on fire and even as heavy smoke poured out of windows on the second floor, he remained inside.

His friends and family members say that he managed to get his Frenchies and a client’s American bulldog to safety. "He was trying to get his dogs up out the house - running in and out trying to put the fire out with the fire extinguisher," recalled Kenneth Young. "I guess the smoke must have got him, but he was trying to save his dogs."

He sadly passed away before he could save them all. At least two of his French bulldogs were caught in the fire and died alongside him. "He loved his dogs," noted Young. "Those dogs were like his kids, precious joy to him." Majors was reportedly a very popular dog trainer in the neighborhood whose pups would perform in fog shows.

Apparantely, they all knew several tricks and some even rode on skateboards. People closer to Majors say he was more than just a dog lover, he was an extremely kind-hearted man. "My daughter, she’s going to miss him," his cousin DeAundre Banks shared.

"He had a three-wheeler, what’s the name of the car he had? Vanderhall. He used to come on the east side and take my daughter for a ride. She would run straight out the door, running straight to get in the Vanderhall with him," recalled Banks. The Detroit Fire Department's Deputy Chief Dave Fornell later revealed that Majors' body was burned beyond recognition.

While his friends and family believe that it was a space heater that possibly started the raging fire and claimed his life, police are yet to confirm the same as the investigation continues to unfold.
Cover image source: YouTube Screenshot | FOX 2 Detroit

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