Dogs have incredible senses and instincts — they are able to detect dangerous situations even before humans can. And because our pets are so loyal, they’ll always make sure to alert us when we’re in danger.
Like one little dog, who is being hailed as a hero after alerting her owner to a house fire, saving his life.
Joel Rosa, from Tangerine, Florida, is the owner of a dog named Maggie. In the early hours of July 28, he woke up to his dog acting very unusual: “She woke me up at like 3 in the morning, barking,” Joel recalled to WESH.
While no one likes to be woken up in the middle of the night, Joel soon realized that his dog’s barking had an urgent purpose.
After getting out of bed, he discovered that the roof of his house was on fire.
“I came outside from the porch upstairs, and I look on the right side and see the fire,” Joel said. “It was really scary, really scary.”
“I came outside on the porch and saw the flames,” he told WFTV. “I tried to put it out with water but it didn’t work.”
Joel and Maggie were able to get to safety, and he called 911 for help. Firefighters from the Orange County Fire Rescue arrived on the scene and worked to put the fire out.
The fire reportedly spread from the roof to the second floor of the home, causing a partial collapse. It was likely caused by a lightning strike.
“We believe it was a lightning strike from yesterday’s storms that hit the house and that lightning festered inside the roof,” Orange County Fire Rescue spokesperson Lisa McDonald told WESH. “This is a 7,000 square foot home. It’s a very large home, and it was 80 percent involved with flames.”
Luckily, all the residents of the home were safe — and it’s all thanks to Maggie. Joel says that he wouldn’t have noticed the fire without her intervention, and it’s easy to imagine how worse things could’ve been if he didn’t catch it in time. The fire could’ve spread even further, making it impossible for them to escape.
“The homeowner should definitely thank his pet for waking him up,” McDonald said.
Joel certainly knew he owed his life to his dog. “Oh, she’s my hero,” he said. “I love my dog. It’s amazing. I would say she saved my life.”
“I love this dog.”
