PENNSYLVANIA (WHP) — Samuel Byler remembers the flames. He remembers the pain. And he remembers the terrifying realization that his dog was still trapped inside the burning RV he called home.

“I was on fire,” Byler recalled. “And so I remember as a kid, I stopped dropping roll, right? So I threw myself out the driver’s door.”

But even after escaping, Byler knew he couldn’t leave. His dog, Dolly, was still inside.

Byler said he ran around the burning RV, forced open a door, and rushed back into the flames.

“Flame shot out,” he recalled.

He grabbed Dolly, tucked her under his shirt, and ran outside, screaming for help. Both survived.

But in the months since that frightening morning in June, Byler has struggled to recover from losing nearly everything he owned.

Byler, 59, said his RV had broken down, and he had spent much of the night trying to repair it. The vehicle was more than transportation. It was his home, his workspace, and the place where he was trying to rebuild his financial future.

After replacing several engine parts, Byler said he still couldn’t get the RV running. He had run out of starting fluid, so he tried pouring gasoline into the carburetor.

When he turned the ignition, the engine backfired. Byler described a burst of bright blue and red flames shooting from the engine.

Startled, he spilled the gasoline he was holding, and the fire spread.

Byler said he suffered serious burns, including third-degree burns to his hand, and spent 11 days hospitalized. Although his injuries have healed considerably, he said two of his fingers still don’t move the way they once did.

After leaving the hospital, Byler spent time in a homeless shelter. Dolly couldn’t stay there with him. Byler said he was grateful when his brother helped reunite them and provided a temporary place for them to stay.

But he is still searching for a stable, permanent home.

Months after the fire, Byler said he continues to experience nightmares about what happened.

“I struggle with, you know, my identity, I guess,” he said. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“Maybe having a roof over my head or, you know, some kind of a roof over my head, whether it be a van or a, you know, one apartment, what have you, someplace me and my dog can relax,” he said.

While he cannot recover everything that burned, Byler said the experience has changed how he looks at life. He’s learned not to take the things he has for granted.

Those who would like to learn more about Byler’s situation or support his recovery can visit his GoFundMe fundraiser.