Hero Dog Saves Family From House Fire

A Minnesota family is lucky to be alive today after narrowly escaping their home before it collapsed due to a fire. According to People, the Hansen family of Industrial Township, Minnesota, are picking up the pieces today after losing their home to a house fire.

The family is left with $75,000 worth of damages and lost nearly all their personal belongings in the fire. However, if it hadn’t been for the family dog, Milo, they could have lost a lot more. Carrie Hansen and her husband, Dave, were soundly asleep Sunday night when they were awakened by Milo persistently barking. The middle of the night barking was out of character for the dog, but the couple thought nothing of it. They shooed him from their bedroom and went back to sleep. Luckily, Milo didn’t give up and continued to howl until he finally woke his owners up. Carrie followed the dog as he ran out to the garage. It was then she realized the entire garage was filled with thick, black smoke.

“He ran to the garage, she followed him and it was solid smoke in there,” Dave said of the fire source.

Hero Dog Wakes Up Family in the Middle of the Night, Saves Them from Devastating House Fire https://t.co/6BadyCJObw

— People (@people) November 10, 2018

The family tried to extinguish the flames themselves but with no luck. Upon realizing the fire was steadily spreading out of control, they had no choice but to take the dog and evacuate their home. Minutes after the Hansens reached safety, they watched their roof give in to the flames and collapse, destroying the entire three-year-old property.

At the time of the fire, the Hansens were in the process of remodeling and thus had not yet insured their home. As a result, the replacement of all their belongings falls on their shoulders. The family was most saddened to lose all of Dave’s tools. A mechanic and woodworker by trade, Dave had relied on those tools to make a living.

Despite their great loss, the family is counting their blessings and will make plans to rebuild. They are especially grateful for Milo and say that if it was not for him they would likely not have been able to get out of the home in time.

“Everything else can be put back together,” Dave said.

Although the exact cause of the house fire is not yet known for certain, Dave suspects it could have originated from a piece of equipment in the garage. A GoFundMe had been been started by the couples daughter to help them get back on their feet.