Sometimes cats are said to have nine lives because they always land on their feet. But the same can be said about a specific dog, who bravely escaped from a burning house by jumping out of the second-floor window.
According to NBC Philadelphia, Justin Steinmetz saw a smoke-filled house in Fleetwood, Berks County (USA) as he was driving to work. No one was home – the adults were at work and the children were at school – and Justin tried desperately to get help.
He got another driver to call 911 and began trying to extinguish the fire with a hose, but to no avail. The fire department quickly arrived to battle the flames.
But the situation took a dramatic turn when the family’s dog, Charlie, appeared in the second-floor window of the house and desperately tried to escape.
The firefighters managed to convince Charlie to jump out of the window, the only way to get to safety. In a dramatic moment captured on video by Justin, the dog made a brave leap. Nearly catching fire from the flames, he emerged alive.
“He had a mouthful of smoke, lungs full of smoke, and he jumped to safety,” Justin told NBC. “He jumped when it was really necessary, that’s the most important thing.”
The family’s other dog and their two cats were also found on the scene after managing to escape the house.
While it’s great that the pets survived, the homeowners, the Stump family, “lost everything” in the fire. A crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help them get back on their feet after the loss of their home.
“We are so grateful they are okay, but are painfully aware that their lives will be significantly impacted by the devastating fire to their home today,” the post reads. The page has raised $57,000 for the family so far.
But Justin, who runs a farm and says he will lend the family some baby goats for ‘goat therapy’, says that the survival of the pets is a great blessing.
“I feel blessed that the animals came out alive, that’s the most important thing,” he told NBC.
What a dramatic escape from this burning house! We are so glad that Charlie is safe now and our thoughts are with this family as they recover from this devastating fire.
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