Firefighter Rescues Dogs From House Fire

In 2013, there were approximately 1,240,000 reported fires across the United States. The men and women who fight those fires are real heroes, especially to two dogs from Springfield, Virginia. According to a recent report from WUSA, a house in Fairfax County caught on fire, and was engulfed in flames when the firefighters arrived. The house was assumed to be empty.

Ben Sisson, firefighter with Wolftrap fire station 42, said as he entered the home’s basement, he noticed that there was a baby gate, which tipped him off that there may be dogs inside. Just as he rounded the corner, he stepped on something that didn’t feel like the basement’s solid floor. Sisson recalls:

“As I went to take a step, I stepped on something soft. I wasn’t sure what it was. Later, I discovered it was the dog’s bed. I reached down and I felt the dog laying there and I looked and the dog was awake and breathing. That’s when I informed my officer, I said ‘Hey, I found a dog. I’m going to go ahead and take the dog out to the front yard.”

As the fire raged on, Sisson managed to save two of the three dogs in the house, but the flames were to powerful for both the third dog and the home. Officials say the fire may have been started because of a pile of oil-soaked rags left in the sun on the back porch. While the inside of the home was equipped with smoke detectors, fire officials are leading a push to have detectors installed in outdoor living spaces, where house fires usually begin, as well.

Sisson was wearing a helmet equipped with a camera, and caught his heroic rescue on film. The video shows the happy dogs circling the firefighters, probably grateful about their second chance.