NORTH PORT — Theresa Gloster was away from her Atwater Drive home for 20 minutes Thursday, picking up her daughter from a friend’s house, and returned to find her street lined with firetrucks and police cars. At first she thought a terrible accident might have happened, but instead, her home had caught fire.

Gloster’s kitchen sustained some serious damage, but the rest of the home was spared, she said. Most importantly, her entire family, including three dogs and four turtles, made it out safely. Only the family gecko perished.