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A Florida family is alive and recovering after flames engulfed their Longwood home on Monday night, trapping them inside. The family credits persistent neighbors, their loyal dog, and firefighters with saving their lives.
Seminole County, Florida Sheriff’s Department Investigator Margo Feaser, her husband Brent, and their 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter were inside their home in the Orlando suburb of Longwood when an explosion inside the home sparked a raging fire, trapping the family inside.
The Feaser’s neighbors, Chip and Andrew Dover and Joe Jordan, heard the explosion and ran to help.
“We were outside with my telescope, looking at Jupiter with my next door neighbor,” Dover told TODAY Parents. “We were getting ready to come in when we heard a big explosion, and the house just blew up. We ran over there immediately and it was burning like crazy, and then we realized the family was still inside.”
Acting quickly, they used furniture from the porch to break several windows, allowing them to pull Investigator Feaser to safety while firefighters rushed to the home.
When they arrived, firefighters broke open the front door and rescued Brent, who was badly burned. But, the couple’s 2 and 4-year old children, as well as the family dog, a retired police K-9 named Maxx, were still inside.
By this time, the entire home had become engulfed in heavy, black smoke, making it difficult for firefighters to navigate around and locate the trapped children.
That’s when Maxx, the family’s German Shepherd, led firefighters through the smoke to each of the two children.
Good boy, Maxx!
