It is only a miracle that Angelina, a miniature poodle, from Fox Run, Va., survived a house fire that caused damages worth $400,000. The tiny pet was trapped in the house for 40 minutes while it burnt down, and luckily she was found by hero firefighters who reunited her with her owners.
On November 11, 2013, Talita and Edward Swann home where watching TV. Suddenly their TV went out and a heavy smoke smell filled the air. Edward Swann went outside to investigate and found the right side of his home on fire.
He quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to put out the flames, but when it failed to contain the fire he grabbed the garden house. Meanwhile, Talita Swann made sure that her pets, the Swanns own six dogs in total, were all safe outside the burning home.
Unfortunately, Angelina was the only dog that could not escape the fire and she remained trapped inside the burning home.
Firefighters were called to the scene and it took them more than 40 minutes to control the fire.
“We thought we had lost her,” Edward Swann told The Virginia Gazette. “And when there was only smoke left, one of the firefighters came out with her.”
According to Assistant Chief Bob Ryalls with the James City County Fire Department, when fire rescuers arrived there was heavy smoke coming out of the roof. Soon after that the roof collapsed.
Two firefighters where informed that a sixth family member was trapped inside the home and the two men entered the property looking for tiny Angelina.
The master bedroom was the only room in the house untouched by the fire and it was there where Angelina was found hiding underneath the bed, right next to a shoe.
Firefighter Paul McAndrews believes Angelina survived the fire and did not die from smoke or the intense heat because the collapsed roof made room for the smoke and heat to escape.
The Swanns are grateful that no one was hurt in the rapid fire, including their six fur-babies. For now they are living in a house with a fenced in yard while their home of 15 years gets repaired.
