Off-Duty Firefighter Risks Life While Saving Dog from House Fire

By Amanda Thomason August 19, 2019 at 10:44am

Even though nurses, doctors and first responders do get precious down time, they are never really “off” the job. If an emergency crops up — even outside their working hours — they’ll likely spring into action and attempt to remedy the situation.

That was the case for one off-duty firefighter in Phoenix, Arizona, who spotted a house fire and called it in on Aug. 18.

The house was near 12th St. and Glendale Avenue, and the owners of the home were out, so it’s a good thing the fireman noticed the flames.

He also noticed that even though the owners weren’t home, there was an occupant trapped inside: an apricot-colored dog who looked like a poodle or poodle mix of some sort.

Rushing into the house, the firefighter managed to rescue the dog even though he was burned in the process.

Next-door neighbor Brain Baker said that the fire spread to his property.

“The light bulbs were popping,” Baker said, according to KTVK. “It looked like someone was making popcorn in the backyard.”

“We came outside. I looked to the neighbor’s house next door. It was engulfed in flames.

“The air conditioner started exploding. Lights in my backyard started popping off. An when I looked in my backyard, my backyard was going up in flames.”

“It was pretty bad, but thank God no one was injured,” Baker concluded.

While the unnamed off-duty firefighter did go to the hospital, he was able to drive himself.

The Phoenix Fire Department shared a recap and photos from the rescue and fire.

“Phoenix Firefighters responded to a working house fire in Central Phoenix today,” the PFD posted on Facebook. “They were able to contain this rapidly expanding fire to the house where it originated and kept it from extending to nearby homes.”

“An off-duty Phoenix firefighter (not pictured) was first on the scene and rescued a dog from this fire. The Firefighter sustained a minor injury, but we’re happy to report that both the firefighter and the dog are in stable condition.”

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