DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Virginia – Firefighters credit two dogs for saving the life of a 10-year-old boy during a fire in a trailer in Dinwiddie County.
“Those two dogs are heroes,” said Dinwiddie fire chief Dennis Hale.
Hale says the call came to the Dinwiddie County expedition as a completely inflamed residential fire with a child inside.
Firefighters in Dinwiddie County were not thinking about the fire as they headed for the trailer.
“As long as you respond, you know the comments are ‘there’s a child in the residence,'” Hale said.
Upon arrival, firefighters reported seeing flames coming from in front of the trailer.
But the child inside the house escaped due to the two pit bulls.
The boy ran across the road to the neighbors’ house, telling Ray Dawson he was asleep.
“He was as smutty as he could be, I just smoked his nose, all over his face, his hands,” Dawson said. “He said his dogs got in there and started jumping on him and woke him up.”
“He was asleep and his two dogs went into his room and started jumping up and down and leaving him on his chest and that woke him up,” Hale added.
Facing smoke and flames, the boy escaped by throwing out his window.
“He kept his cool and obviously he knew the fire would be between him and his front door, he knew how to get out in a different way. He did exactly what he was supposed to do,” Hale said.
The two pit bulls did not notice.
“Everyone loved those dogs,” Dawson said. “They saved the boy, they saved him.”
“They both practically died heroes,” Hale added.
The 10-year-old was taken to VCU Medical Center for smoke inhalation. He expects to recover.
The Red Cross was called and is assisting the family with a temporary place to stay.