Her Dog Saved Her From A House Fire, And Now He’s Being Called A Hero
On Friday, January 24, retired law enforcement officer Angela Murray of Baldwinsville, New York, was lying in bed when her pit bull mix, Rocco, started to bark.
According to other residents at her apartment complex, known as New Legacy Apartments, the pup never really made noise.
Yet, shortly before 10:00 p.m. that evening, Rocco was “barking worse than usual,” and Angela “faintly” heard alarms going off in the building.
She nearly went back to sleep, too, but something, perhaps a gut feeling, forced her to get up.
“I went to the living room where he kept barking, and I heard ‘pop pop pop’ in the ceiling. I’m like, ‘Oh no, this is real,'” Angela recalled.
At that point, she rushed back into her bedroom to throw on sweatpants and shoes. Next, she put a leash on Rocco and left her top-floor apartment, hurrying down the stairs and heading out a backdoor exit. Along the way, Angela reportedly saw debris flying.
Once she and Rocco safely made it out of the building, she noticed some neighbors across the street who were instructing her to walk over. Afterward, she watched as the staircase she and her dog had just descended was engulfed by the blaze.
“If I had stopped to get my glasses or look for my wallet… nope, I wouldn’t have made it out,” Angela said.
Firefighters arrived on the scene after the fire, which was reported at 9:45 p.m., had grown in size. It took nine hours to extinguish the flames, which tore through two New Legacy Apartments complex buildings, causing roofs to collapse.
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According to fire officials, an additional 60 fire volunteers were needed to help put out the blaze due to cold weather conditions, and some residents were rescued from their apartments.
A total of 24 units were either destroyed or damaged, and an 80-year-old man was transported to the hospital because of smoke inhalation.
Following the tragedy, the American Red Cross deployed shelter for displaced residents at the Onondaga County Community College arena. Both Angela and Rocco took shelter there, and the canine is now being hailed as a “hero dog” for saving his owner.
“A couple of tenants are calling him the ‘hero dog.’ They said they never hear him bark, but he was barking out of control, [and] that something was wrong,” Angela explained.
One resident even approached Rocco as he was sitting in Angela’s son Andre’s vehicle at the community college arena, saying, “That’s our hero dog! He deserves an award or something!”
A GoFundMe campaign has since been launched for Angela, Andre, and Rocco, who “lost everything” in the fire.
“Their apartment was on the top floor, near where the roof partially collapsed. 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,” the fundraiser, created by a Baldwinsville resident, reads.
“He’s a hero, but now they’re left with nothing.”
Angela and her son moved from Brooklyn to Baldwinsville in 2016. She’s a retired law enforcement officer who “spent her life helping others,” and now, the GoFundMe made on her behalf is urging community members to give Angela’s family relief.
“They’ve lost everything and need support to cover essentials like housing, clothes, and food as they begin to rebuild their lives. Anything you can give, no matter the amount, will make a difference,” the GoFundMe concluded.
The campaign, which has a goal of $20,000, has raised nearly $3,700 so far.
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