FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A dog trapped inside a burning Fort Lauderdale apartment was rescued by a police officer, who was later hospitalized after pulling the animal to safety.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue were dispatched to the 700 block of Northwest 12th Terrace following reports of an apartment fire with a dog trapped inside.
At the scene, crews found smoking billowing into the air from a unit and after conducting a thorough search, officials determined that the fire originated in the kitchen.
“It’s too early right now to know what caught it, but it was in the kitchen, so probably cooking of some sort,” said FLFR Battalion Chief Mike Salzano.
The fire was extinguished very quickly and everyone was able to escape the flames—including the family’s beloved dog, Rocky, who was saved by a heroic police officer.
Fire officials said the officer ran inside the burning apartment to rescue the dog before firefighters arrived. Unfortunately, she did inhale a substantial amount of smoke.
“The officer went in before we got here to try and find the dog. The officer suffered from smoke inhalation and we are transporting her to Broward,” said Salzano.
A 19-year-old and a 15-year-old were home at the time of the fire—their mother, a healthcare worker, told 7News that she was working nearby when she received a frantic phone call from her children. She said she immediately rushed home.
“So I basically got the phone call while I was at work and all I heard was my daughter screaming, saying ‘The house is on fire! The house is on fire,'” the mother said.
The family is now waiting for the Red Cross to help them with their next steps.
“I’m just grateful everybody’s good, everybody’s alive, the dog is alive because they were really worried about the dog. So I’m just glad everybody’s alive because only God knows,” said the mother.
Officials confirmed the officer who ran in to save the dog has been released from the hospital.
The official cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Marshal.
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