A Gainesville man says he is incredibly lucky despite losing nearly everything he owned in an overnight house fire.

The first call for help came in just before midnight from a Gainesville Regional Utilities employee who was working to restore power in the home after yesterday's storm.

Once power was turned back on, the GRU employee smelt smoke and quickly turned off the power and called 9-1-1.

Gainesville Fire Rescue crews found a fire smoldering in the attic and worked to put it out before it spread to the neighboring apartment.

To help save the renter's belongings, firefighters placed boxes of items outside of the home to prevent smoke and water damage.

It's still unclear what happened next, but what is known is that somehow the entire apartment caught on fire once again around four in the morning, this time destroying nearly everything inside.

He is still missing two of his small dogs, both believed to be Chihuahua's.

If you think you may have seen them in the area of Northwest 23rd Terrace call Verle Whitesle at 352-226-1798.