DANVILLE, Va. – A Danville man and his son ran into their neighbors' burning home Thursday evening to try to rescue the neighbors' pets.
The fire broke out around 6:45 p.m. Thursday at a one-story home at 821 Buford Street and was under control in about 25 minutes.
The Fire Marshal investigated the fire and found the cause to be from wiring in the front wall of the house.
Randy Tillman was standing in his yard when the fire broke out.
"I glanced down the street and the roof (of the home) was engulfed in flames," Tillman said.
He said the neighbors had just left about 10 minutes earlier, so he knew they were not inside, but he was concerned about their two dogs.
"They have a small Samoyed and Dachshund that, allegedly, (were) not in the house, but (my son and I) went through the yard, kicked the front door in, went in the house to look for the (dogs)," Tillman said.
He relied on his training from his time as a volunteer firefighter in Florida to stay safe inside the home.
"I knew when I went in that I had to go in on all fours and crawl on the floor because the smoke settles above you," Tillman said.
The owners were not at home at the time of the fire and after they arrived, crews were informed that the family pet was inside the house.
The house was searched and a small dog was found under a bed.
The dog was brought out of the house and given to the owners and appeared to be okay.
The occupants are being assisted by the Danville Chapter of the Red Cross.
The house suffered significant damage to the attic. There was also smoke, heat, and water damage to the rooms of the house and the residence is not livable at this time.