A man in Oklahoma has died after heroically re-entering a house fire to save his family's dog.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to the fire at 7 a.m. on Sunday after an individual reported that their house was on fire. The residents were reportedly woken up by fire alarms and left the home near Southeast 74th Street and South Hiwassee Road to safety.
According to reports, the residents soon realized the family dog was still inside the burning house, and so the husband decided to re-enter the burning building in an attempt to save the dog. "The husband went back inside the burning structure to try and find their dog," fire officials said.
When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke and fire were coming from the house and they were told an individual was still inside. The man was pulled from the kitchen of the house and firefighters performed CPR on him. He was then taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The dog got out of the burning house and survived.
The fire was put out and damage to the home was estimated to be around $430,000. No other residents were injured. Officials reportedly said the fire started in the office toward the front of the family home.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, around 40,000 pets die in residential fires every year, the majority of those caused by smoke inhalation. Around 500,000 pets are affected by fires annually.
In November, a stranger passing by a California house managed to save a family's pets after noticing the house was on fire with smoke coming out the top. The anonymous jogger alerted the family, who were away from home at the time, using the house's Ring doorbell feature.
Saving All the Animals
After being informed of the situation, and hearing the smoke alarm in the background, the family gave the jogger the keycode to the house, allowing him to enter and rescue the animals. Thanks to the jogger, the two dachshunds, a rabbit and a cat were all saved from the fire, which was was contained to the garage, causing smoke damage throughout the house.
The jogger however didn't stay around long enough for the family to meet and thank him for his actions.
"It takes a special kind of person [to] go into a burning house to save animals," said the homeowner at the time.
