Hugs for Firefighter Who Snatched Dog from Burning Home

Lily is one lucky little Jack Russell terrier.

The spunky critter has been rescued twice in her life: once by her owner and most recently by a St. Petersburg firefighter who saved her from a Wednesday morning blaze.

It seems Lily was inside the home at 1014 27th St. N. in St. Petersburg when a fire broke out just before 9 a.m. While the one person inside the structure was able to get out safely thanks to notice from a smoke alarm, the little dog remained inside, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue wrote in an email to media.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found smoke coming from the rear of the home. Firefighters, the department noted, made short work of putting out the flames while Firefighter Ben Lawson made a point of rescuing the dog.

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Lawson’s recovery of Lily from the home earned him a hug from owner Jodi Long when all was said and done.

Lt. Steve Lawrence said Long was very appreciative of the rescue of her rescue dog.

“Great job, Ben,” the agency wrote on its Facebook page following the call out.

The agency’s email noted that without smoke detectors the family’s tale could have ended much differently. St. Petersburg Fire Rescue offers free smoke alarms to families in need through its HomeSAFE program. For more details, just call 727-893-SAFE.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation and no injuries were reported.

Photos courtesy of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue

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