Due to their propensity to always land on their feet, cats are frequently referred to as having “nine lives.”
But the same may be said about one dog that boldly leapt out of a second-floor window to escape a blazing house.
According to NBC Philadelphia, a man named Justin Steinmetz was driving to work when he noticed a smoke-filled home in Fleetwood, Berks County.
The house was deserted — the grownups were at work, and the children were at school — and Justin desperately sought assistance.
He urged another driver to phone 911 and tried unsuccessfully to put out the flames with a hose. Firefighters arrived quickly to put out the flames.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn when Charlie, the family’s dog, emerged through the home’s second-story window, urgently trying to escape.
Charlie was coaxed into jumping out the window, the only way to safety, by the firefighters.
The dog takes a bold leap in a spectacular event captured on camera by Justin. He made it out alive, despite being scorched by the fire.
“He had a mouth full of smoke, lungs full of smoke, and he jumped to safety,” Justin said to NBC. “He jumped when he needed to, that’s what matters.”
After escaping the house, the family’s second dog and two cats were discovered on the scene.
While the cats were fortunate to survive the fire, the homeowners, identified as the Stump family, “lost everything.”
After losing their house, they started a GoFundMe effort to assist them get back on their feet.
“We are very grateful they are ok, but are painfully aware that their lives will be significantly impacted as a result of the devastating fire to their home today,” the website says. The family has received $40,000 thanks to the page.
However, Justin, who owns a farm and says he will be lending the family some newborn goats for “goat therapy,” sees the critters’ survival as a huge plus.
“I feel blessed that the animals got out alive, that’s the big thing,” he stated NBC.