A dog is being hailed as a hero by its owner after saving her from a devastating apartment fire. According to Angela Murray, she was completely unaware of the inferno threatening her life. That's when she heard her pet start barking.
At the time, on January 24, Murray had been laying in bed. That's when she heard the barks from her pit bull mix, Rocco, getting loud. She said that he was "barking worse than usual." Speaking with Syracuse.com, she said, "Then I could faintly hear the alarm going off."
Going into the living room, she found her dog barking but also noticed a popping noise coming from her ceiling. Realizing that something was wrong, she grabbed her shoes and dog and headed for the exit. Just as they left the building, she noticed debris flying. It turns out that the building was on fire. In fact, Murray and her pooch barely made it out. The stairs they had just used had gone up in flames.
Hero Dog Saves Owner From Fire
She was glad that she hadn't stopped to find her glasses or wallet. She said, "I wouldn't have made it out." Sadly, the inferno ended up consuming the entire apartment building. It took more than 60 firefighters to put out the blaze. For now, Murray and Rocco are staying in a makeshift shelter.
She's affectionately called her dog a hero. Others agree.
"Acouple of tenants are calling him the 'hero dog,'" she told Syracuse.com. "They said they never hear him bark but he was barking out of control, that something was wrong."
Since the apartment fire, Murray has a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with the rebuilding efforts. So far, she's raised $1,600. The future remains uncertain. But she has a future thanks to her dog, and that's something.
"Their apartment was on the top floor, near where the roof partially collapsed," the fundraiser reads. "It's hard to imagine how terrifying it must have been, but Rocco, their dog, alerted Angela and other residents in time for them to escape. He's a hero, but now they're left with nothing."
