Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/police-officer-rescues-dog-house-fire-florida/
A dog was saved from a house fire in Florida thanks to the quick actions of a police officer.
According to The Palm Coast Observer, a Florida family had left their dog at home while they went out shopping. While away from the house, the family, Steven and Autumn Konen, received a call from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office letting them know their house was on fire.
First responders were quick to arrive on the scene, but the fire had already begun to spread. According to a Facebook post shared by the FCSO, one of the first responders, Deputy Jeckovich, heard a scratching behind the door.
Knowing he needed to act fast to save whatever was trapped in the house, Jeckovich quickly broke down the door.
The lucky pup rushed out of the house that was “fully engulfed in flames,” and into safety amongst the firefighters.
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Footage captured on one of the officer’s body cameras captured the moment the officer broke the door in. In the footage, you can see that just moments after the dog escapes through the hole, thick black smoke begins to pour from the house.
Thankfully, the dog was ok. The FCSO shared, “While the dog was a little shaken up, there were no serious injuries.” They also noted that Steven and Autumn Kone were relieved when they arrived to their house and discovered their beloved dog was not injured. “The homeowners were not home at the time of the fire but were relieved to be reunited with their pet when they arrived on the scene,” the FCSO said.
According to The Palm Coast Observer, a family friend who knows the dog, Matt Guiliano, revealed that the dog is gold-colored, but he appears a dark gray in the footage due to his fur being covered in thick ash. After being in the house with the smoke and ash, it’s a miracle he survived! If the officer hadn’t broken the door in a moment sooner, the outcome could’ve been grim.
Watch the rescue footage below:
Guiliano further shared with the outlet that “The home is a total loss. These people lost literally everything. I am trying to help them, as they are a young family with a 12-year-old daughter. … You can imagine how hard it would be to literally need to rebuy every piece of clothing, couches, beds, lights, pots, pans, anything and everything you’ve ever owned.”
A GoFundMe with a goal of $40,000 has been started to help raise money for the family facing such a devastating loss. They’ve currently raised just under $5,000.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
