Dog News

Man Saves Neighbor’s Dog from Apartment Fire

by Katherine

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In Mungia, Spain, a man came to the rescue of various neighbors when the apartment building they reside in caught fire. The hero not only saved the lives of a woman and her daughter, but also the life of a dog.

On the afternoon of June 19, Ismael Mesquita was sitting in a café across the street from the apartment building when he saw smoke coming out of one of the second floor apartments. He immediately reported the incident to authorities and took action saving three lives.

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Photo Credit: Pablo Viñas

Most of the building residents were able to escape the blaze on their own, but those living on the third and fourth floor of the building were trapped inside. Among those trapped were Nieves, her daughter Ainhoa, and their dog Neska.

A nearby building under construction had a crane and a construction crew on the scene. Mesquita asked workers if the crane could be moved near the burning building to save those trapped on the upper floors.

Using the crane and a harness Nieves and her daughter were rescued from their fourth floor apartment balcony, but unfortunately their dog Neska was left behind. In distress, the dog barked to be rescued and reunited with her owners.

Mesquita secured himself to the harness and was hoisted to the third floor to rescue another neighbor. Luckily, the neighbor had gained access to the building’s stairs and had come down to safety.

Once Mesquita realized the third floor apartment was empty, he asked the construction workers to hoist him to the fourth floor to rescue Neska. He grabbed the dog by a front leg, and the crane operator attempted to lower both to safety. At a point during the rescue, Neska almost plummeted onto the street. She was not secured to the harness and the make-shift rescue equipment was just quick thinking and last minute ingenuity on Mesquita’s part. Luckily Neska and her rescuer made it safely to street level.

“The dog was sliding out of my hands,” Mesquita told Deia news. “She was trying to escape me. It was her natural instinct.”

Neska did not suffer any injuries from her rescue or the fire. Nieves and her daughter were relieved to see their loved pet safe and sound.

“She will forever be grateful to Ismael,” said Nieves while embracing Mesquita after rescuing the dog.

Mesquita received the recognition of all neighbors who witnessed his heroic actions.

Note: The rescue was captured on video by a neighbor. The clip is 10 min. long and the commentary is in Spanish. Neska’s rescue is towards the end of the clip.