In what translated into a heroic rescue on the part of two quick-acting fire chiefs, a husband and wife and their dog survived as their home went up in flames.
The incident occurred on Feb. 9 in a dwelling on Lehigh Road in Richland, New York, in the Oswego Country/Pulaski area, when a husband and wife ran back into their burning house to save their dog.
Ringgold Fire Company Chief Justin Crowl and Richland Fire Chief Dustin Woods rescued the couple, found overcome by smoke, while the dog escaped on its own.
Both people sustained minor injuries and smoke inhalation, but everyone survived.
The house was severely damaged, and the cause of the fire was under investigation as of Feb. 10.
“Another 3, 5 minutes and the outcome would have been much worse,” Crowl said Tuesday to syracuse.com. “This could have been a double fatality fire.”
The Ringgold Fire Company was conducting a company-wide training when someone reported the fire, so they had multiple crews on scene in minutes, according to the report.
Firefighters remained on scene until 1 a.m., Crowl said. Both victims were treated at the scene, firefighters told people.com.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries when snow slid off the roof and struck him, Crowl told people.com.