New Port Richey, Florida -- It was the faulty wiring in an air conditioning unit that caused a house in New Port Richey to go up in flames over the weekend.

But the house also doubles as an animal rescue, leaving the woman who lives there to save herself and more than 200 animals as the fire spread.

"My dog was flipping out. He was barking his head off, and then it registered in my brain that I was smelling burning plastic," Tammy Kemp tells 10 News. "My dog is literally trying to pull me out the door. He's trying to get away with me, bless his heart. He's my hero."

Her first thoughts weren't about grabbing belongings, but about getting neighbors and hundreds of animals away from the flames. As daylight revealed destruction, volunteer animal rescues came to save her farm.

"All these people just started appearing with trailers and cages," Kemp says. "The animals have food right now. They have water. And that, in itself, is everything."

It's complete strangers who have guided her through this struggle.

"We'll try to help out any way we can," says Pastor Harry Buckwalter of Lakeview Baptist Church in Hudson.

The church is coming to Tammy's aid, especially with trying to get her donations and storing contributions she may receive. And they know her struggle all too well. Two years ago, Lakeview burned to the ground, also the result of an electrical fire.

"It seems terrible, but after you look back on it, the neat part is all the people that will come around and help. There's a lot of good things that come out of bad," Pastor Buckwalter says.

Tammy may have only escaped the fire with one pair of shoes, but she and all 200 animals got away unharmed.

"It makes me grateful for every day that I'm here. I'm so grateful to be alive," Kemp says.

Kemp's house was uninsured and she could use help, especially with clothing donations. You can drop off items at Lakeview Baptist Church on Tami Trail in Hudson, or you can call the Red Cross at 727-848-8354.