NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two lifelong Bellevue residents and their four dogs were displaced Tuesday after their home, which had been in their family for decades, went up in flames.

While Toney and Tammy Moore, along with their pets, made it out safe, their home on Buffalo Road was severely damaged. Bobbie Berry, the youngest of their three daughters, said it all started with a call from her mom at about 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

While sitting down, Berry said her dad noticed a little flame in the back of their wood stove and got up to put it out. However, as he went to investigate, he quickly realized the fire had already spread inside the walls.

“They knew they needed to get out immediately, so they got their dogs and got out,” Berry said. “In a matter of minutes, the entire backside of the house was in flames.”

The call from her mother came only moments after. When Berry got to Buffalo Road from her home about 45 minutes away, she said part of the street had been closed and there were about 11 firetrucks in the area.

The flames were out by about 4:30 p.m., but little was left of the home which Berry said was built by her great grandparents decades ago and had been the place where her father was born in 1963.

The entire backside of the home burned down, and much of the remaining areas had extensive water damage. Photos showed blackened wood, holes gaping in through the roof, shattered family photos and debris everywhere.

“We were able to save pictures, and salt and pepper shakers and two dressers out of the house and that was it,” Berry said. “There were two rooms that didn’t have fire damage. The rest of the house was a complete loss. Once it got to the attic, it burned everything.”

Loss comes amid battle with cancer

Berry said her parents, who’ve been married for over 40 years, have since been “in shock.” Their home was uninsured and will have to be demolished and completely rebuilt. However, with several expensive medical bills, Berry said they’re already living “check to check.”

“They’re just devastated,” she said. “My mom didn’t go in the house until yesterday and she broke down because there’s just nothing. Everything is melted and it’s just heartbreaking.”

Her father, Toney Moore, a disabled retiree from Metro Public Works, is currently undergoing treatment for metastatic bone cancer and is on oxygen. Berry said he was initially diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and had part of his lung removed.

He seemed to be in remission after undergoing several chemotherapy and radiation treatments. However, in January, Berry said his doctors found a tumor on his hip bone that had likely spread from his previous battle with lung cancer.

“He’s undergoing a treatment right now. He also has to have infusions to support his bones,” she said. “Yesterday we found out that the tumor has deteriorated his hip bone so bad that next Wednesday he has to have hip surgery to have a metal rod put in his leg.”

The couple has been staying at an extended stay hotel but eventually plans to temporarily move in with one of their daughters. However, Berry said the situation has been hard on her father, who struggles to even walk upstairs.

“It’s just really hard,” she said. “I’m hoping that he’s strong enough to get through this, but it’s just really overwhelming.”

Fundraiser launched for family

In the meantime, a GoFundMe page has been created to help raise funds to get Toney and Tammy Moore back under a roof of their own. Berry said they are looking at either rebuilding their home or purchasing a mobile home to put on the property.

Before demolishing the burnt structure, they hope to salvage little pieces like a single original door that was left unscathed to incorporate in their next home.

Some of the funds will also be used to help take care of the Moore family’s four dogs, two of which are being boarded until they can rejoin their owners.

Although the fundraising goal is currently set at $350,000, Berry said any little bit helps. As of Thursday afternoon, $3,260 had been raised. To find out more or make a donation, click here.

“We’re really hoping to get $100,000. We think that could buy a mobile home or buy the supplies needed for the people we have to help build,” Berry said. “Any donations that we get, to use toward getting them back in a home.”

News 2 has reached out to the Nashville Fire Department for more information on the fire.