Willow Spring couple turns tragedy into a new beginning

Neighbor Laura Bullas said she warned her neighbors of the flames that were spreading quickly.

"It was amazing how quick everything just went up and where the smoke was coming out of and how thick," described Bullas.

The homeowners, Sean Matthews and Kelle Stanley, were out to dinner, and their dog was inside the home. Bullas said she had to act fast.

"I didn't even think about it. You know, it's like, ‘The dog’s in there. Go get the dog,’ and I think maybe it would've been different if I had to look for him, but luckily he was right there," said Bullas.

"It's wonderful," added Matthews. "He was probably a few minutes from no longer being with us, and we've got a wonderful neighbor next door to thank for that."

Matthews said he had something else valuable inside the home, and it was something his girlfriend didn't know about.

"When the fire went out, that was one of my first priorities. I had to see the safe to see if the safe survived, and of course, what was in the safe," said Matthews.

"At the end of the night, when we thought we were leaving, he gathered everybody in the driveway to just say thank you, and all of a sudden, the conversation shifts, and he starts talking to me about how we started off here in this house [with me] as his girlfriend, but he wanted me to end as his fiancée," said Stanley.

Spoiler alert -- Stanley said yes.

"I'm a big believer in, it's not what happens to you but how you face what happens to you, and I wanted to make the best of it," said Matthews.

The newly-engaged couple said the home will rebuilt, and they'll have a new start as husband and wife, hoping that the spark between them never goes out.

"We have everything we need - the three of us - and that's all that matters at the end of the day," said Stanley.

Fire officials said the fire started on the back porch, but the cause is still under investigation.