Tag: house fire

Hero Pomeranian Stays by Blind Chihuahua’s Side During House Fire

When Lily Ifield of Hertfordshire, England, looked out her bedroom window in the middle of the night earlier this month, she thought the thick smoke she saw was fog.

But when she went downstairs, she realized the smoke was coming from inside her house.

“I thought my home was going to explode. There was just this big billowing cloud of black smoke,” she Daily Express, describing a house fire earlier this month. “All I thought was, ‘Oh my God,’ and ran out. I couldn’t really see as there was smoke everywhere.”

Ifield, 73, and Sandy, her 10-year-old Pomeranian, managed to escape outside, but Sandy noticed somebody was missing.

It was Tina, a blind, 13-year-old Chihuahua who is Sandy’s best friend.

To Ifield’s horror, Sandy ran back into the burning house. “The fireman couldn’t believe Sandy went in to the smoke-filled house to look for the little one,” Ifield told the Daily Express. “He said when he came in, they were both sitting side by side in the kitchen, and Sandy was looking after her.”

Firefighters from the Stortford Fire and Rescue Service were able to save the two dogs.

“We got them out before there was a chance for them to be affected by smoke inhalation,” one of their rescuers, Pat Steadman, told the Daily Express. “The 13-year-old one was the smallest chihuahua you’ve ever seen. They were only going to come out together.”

Ifield’s parrot, Rio, also survived the blaze by flying out of the house. The fire was believed to be caused by an electrical issue in the kitchen. Ifield and her pets are temporarily staying in a hotel while repairs are made to their home.

“The firefighters did a brilliant job to make sure everyone was okay,” Ifield told the Hertfordshire Mercury. “They are so kind — I just want to thank them so much.”

Tina and her hero Sandy were already BFFs before the fire. But now? “They are even closer, and they just cuddle up to each other,” Ifield told the Daily Express.

Photo (of a random Pomeranian who isn’t Sandy): OpenRoadPR

Phoenix Teen Jumps off School Bus to Save His Dog from House Fire

As 14-year-old Mike Assi of Phoenix rode the bus to his middle school yesterday morning, he noticed smoke pouring from a house.

It was his house, and his Pit Bull mix, Zach, was inside it. Assi ran to the front of the bus and yelled for the driver to stop.

“The bus driver was yelling at me, telling me not go in but I just had to open the door,” Assi, a student at Deer Valley Middle School, told KPHO. “I had to at least yell for my dog to see if I could give him a chance to come out. I was just worried about him. I wasn’t scared. I was worried about him because he’s family.”

Assi jumped off the bus and ran to his house. When he opened the front door, smoke poured out. He called Zach’s name but got no response. So he ran around to the back door. When he opened it, Zach ran out.

Assi said Zach has been part of the family for 8 and a half years — over half his life.

Neither Assi or Zach were injured. No one else was home at the time. Firefighters put out the fire, which caused extensive damage to the house.

Capt. Aaron Ernsberger with the Phoenix Fire Department told KPHO that if you should happen to see a house fire, call 911 immediately.

The Assi family is thankful Zach is alive, and they’re calling Mike a hero for saving his life.

Family Lost Everything Except Their Dog

According to a GoFundMe page, the Assi family lost just about everything except Zach in the fire.

“The home was deemed a total loss and very little was salvageable,” wrote a family member. “My sister who is a competitive cheerleader lost all of her uniforms, we lost Christmas presents that had been bought, along with the irreplaceable family photos and memorabilia.”

More than $2,200 has been raised for hero Mike and his family as of Saturday. If you’d like to help them, click here.

Photo via YouTube

German Shepherd Leads Firefighters to Children in Burning House

Maxx, a German Shepherd, is being hailed as a hero for his help in saving the lives of two children after his family’s house in Longwood, Fla., went up in flames Monday night.

Neighbors who heard an explosion around 11:30 p.m. called 911 and rushed over to help the family.

“We heard a loud boom from a house that is just a couple houses down from here,” Chip Dover told News 6. “We saw orange flames coming out.”

Using patio furniture, Dover and his son, Andrew, were able to break windows and pull out Maxx’s dog mom, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Investigator Margo Feaser.

When firefighters arrived, they busted down the front door and rescued Feaser’s husband, Brent.

But the couple’s 2-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son were still inside the burning house.

Margo Feaser, a 12-year veteran of SCSO who also served overseas with the U.S. Army during Operation Enduring Freedom, had to be held back from running into the house to save her children. But Maxx stepped in and led the firefighters through flames and thick smoke to the boy and girl.

“I am not surprised, and it certainly tugs at my heart knowing that the majority of our dogs and our pets would do that for any one of us,” Dr. Chloe Magaldino of Sanlando Animal Hospital told WESH. “Even though a lot of us say, ‘My dog would not do that’ or ‘My dog is such a wimp,’ I can almost guarantee, nine times out of 10, that they would put your life, your safety, ahead of their own.”

Maxx was treated at a local veterinary hospital for smoke inhalation and minor burns to his paws. His family, however, remains hospitalized, with injuries ranging from serious to critical — but they all are expected to survive.

“We are grateful to the neighbors who jumped into action, and we especially thank the firefighters who selflessly entered the burning structure and risked their lives for the Feaser family,” Sheriff Don Eslinger said in a statement. “There is a long road of recovery and rebuilding ahead, but our Sheriff’s Office family will be with Margo and her family every step of the way. We know our community is behind them too, and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support the family has received.”

The fire, which completely destroyed the house, was accidental, according to the state fire marshal’s preliminary investigation. It started on the back porch.

To help the Feaser family pay their medical and veterinary bills as well as temporary housing expenses, a GoFundMe page has been created. As of this morning, more than $17,800 has been donated.

You can also make a contribution by check to the “Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Employee Benevolent Fund” and send it to 100 Bush Boulevard, Sanford, FL 32773, Attention: “Feaser Family Fund.”

Photos via GoFundMe.com

Firefighters Rescue 34 Dogs from Florida House Fire

APRIL 20, 2016 UPDATE: “I was only gone for an hour, and I came back and the house was in flames,” Loretta Murray, owner of the house that caught on fire, told WPLG Local 10 today. Many of the dogs that were rescued are now in need of foster or permanent homes. For more information, contact Abandoned Pet Rescue at 954-728-9010 or Florida Cocker Spaniel Rescue at 813-245-1833.

As firefighters approached a burning house in Dania Beach, Fla., last night, several dogs ran toward them.

Inside the house were even more dogs, “many unconscious and unresponsive,” Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles told Inside Edition. “There were dogs everywhere in the house. They were still finding dogs an hour and a half or so (into the rescue).”

More than 34 dogs were rescued from the house in what Jachles described as “an endless chain of dogs. It was pretty bizarre. Any of us that were at the scene last night have never seen anything like this.”

Some dogs were given oxygen. The fire truck was equipped with only one pet oxygen mask, so officers had to use larger ones designed for children and adults on the other dogs.

Five of the dogs were in critical condition. Those and four others were taken to a local animal emergency hospital. Only one dog died.

“Considering we had 34 dogs in a house filled with fire and full of smoke, that only one dog perished, that was pretty remarkable,” Jachles told Inside Edition.

There is no limit to the number of pets you can have in Broward County. The homeowner, who wasn’t there at the time of the fire, operated a dog rescue from her house.

“We have seen all of these dogs before. They are well cared for,” Animal Care and Adoption Division spokeswoman Lisa Mendheim told Inside Edition. “Any of them that were in need of medical services were under veterinary care, so there is no issue of cruelty.”

Dennis Hartling, a neighbor who called 911, said it was a hoarding situation.

“It’s not the first time that they’ve hauled this many dogs off their property,” he told WSVN. “The city hasn’t done anything about it, and tonight is just another example of what she’s up to.”

The cause of the fire is not yet known. Hartling said it started near the air-conditioning unit.

“Just tonight, I just so happen to be on my way out to the store, and I could smell the smoke, I could see it, I could hear the crackling from the fire,” he told WSVN. “I walked down the sidewalk to the building in the back, the side of the house. Part of it was on fire from the AC unit.”

As the injured dogs recover, Jachles told Inside Edition the fire department may bring their fire rescue dog to visit them.

Photo via Twitter

Wisconsin Police Officer Runs into Burning House, Rescues Dog

As soon as he pulled up to a house on fire in Tilden, Wisc., Friday night, Chippewa Falls Police Officer Craig Mantzke wasted no time running into the burning home.

“Officer Craig Mantzke was first to arrive on scene and bravely entered the residence, which was fully engulfed in flames,” wrote the Chippewa Falls Police Department on its Facebook page yesterday. “Officer Mantzke forced his way inside, searching for people through the smoke and flames.”

A dashcam video shows Mantzke’s patrol car approaching the house and the officer running into the burning structure. Video from his body camera shows him searching the house as it fills with smoke.

After the video ends, Mantzke found an 8-year-old Shih Tzu named Maggie gated in the kitchen area and helped her escape.

“I think if we were in the same position we’d be absolutely elated if someone was able to save our pet or do what they could to save our pets,” Mantzke told WEAU. “Those are a big part of families.”

No other members of the Sullivan family, who have lived in the house for 12 years, were home at the time of the fire. The house was a total loss, but the family told WEAU they’re thankful no one, including Maggie, was hurt. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the family recover.

A composite of the dash cam and body cam videos that was posted on the Chippewa Falls Police Department’s Facebook page yesterday has been viewed more than 77,000 times as of this morning.

Photo via Facebook

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