He tried to save his wife from their burning home. She died holding his hand

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Lisa Gillette died holding her husband's hand.

The 50-year-old was searching for a way out on the second floor after a fire tore through her home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last Monday night.

Her dog, Hank, found her to alert her about the fire, her husband, Todd Gillette said. The dog woke up Todd as well.

Fire was already consuming the home – shooting flames 20 feet in the air at one point.

Flames touched Todd's back as he ran upstairs to reach Lisa on the second floor. But she and Hank were trapped. Todd grabbed her hand and held on as she took her last breath, he said.

"She fought with the last breath she had," Todd said.

Todd was transported to a hospital for his burns and injuries. His mother was also in the home but got out uninjured.

Firefighters tried to enter the home three times but were called back because the flames were too intense, Battalion Chief of Investigation Mike Top said.

When firefighters were finally able to get to the second floor, they found both Lisa and Hank deceased. Officials do not know the cause of the fire yet.

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'That was just Lisa – she cared about people'

Lisa made an impression.

Everywhere she went people knew her, said Donna Bowden, a close friend.

She made friends easily. She laughed easily. She loved easily.

Her dynamic and vibrant personality would usually establish her as the center of attention, said Todd, who had been married to Lisa (née Duin) for eight years and together for 22 years total.

"She would take up a fight with the biggest guy in the room if necessary," Todd said. "But she would hold the biggest guy in the room if necessary to comfort him, too."

But even though the home, which will have to be rebuilt, still isn't safe to be around, nearly 50 people gathered outside Tuesday for a candlelight vigil in her honor, Todd said.

The vigil was a celebration of her life, said Keven Weber, a neighbor of the couple for over a decade. At one point, the vigil got too somber, he said, and someone started playing a Journey song to lighten the mood.

"These people had the rug pulled out from underneath them. People are lost," Weber said. "She knew everybody. She knew everybody's birthday. That was just Lisa – she cared about people. She was kind of like a little mother hen but was also a little short, probably 5-foot-2, firecracker."

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, and said there likely won't be a resolution until 2020.

Todd plans to rebuild the home again, but for now, he just stops by regularly to pick up flowers left outside the home's doorstep to remember Lisa.

It's a testament to the impact Lisa had on others, he said. She loved easily and shared generously.

Lisa was a biker and had a network of friends in the motorcycle community, as well as the couple's tight-knit family at the Thirsty Duck, their neighborhood watering hole. The grill and bar was his hangout first, but she took it over with her easy sense of humor and affection for others the moment she walked in, Todd said.

Before people even stepped all the way through the door, she'd already greet them with an embrace, Bowden said. And she wouldn't let them out the door without a goodbye hug either.

"She had the biggest bear hug and kissed everybody and loved telling everybody she loved them," Bowden said. "She was a very strong woman."

"She was my best friend, my partner in crime. She was everything," Todd said. "I'm glad that I did spend the life that I did with her."

Follow Makenzie Huber on Twitter: @MakenzieHuber

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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls, South Dakota fire: She died holding husband's hand.