A Kennewick couple says they owe their lives to their dog this morning, after strong winds set off a series of wildfires around town overnight on June 12. Izabeau Pearston and Elijah Jackson were sleeping when their dog’s barking woke them up.
The pair spoke with the Tri-City Herald about the incident, explaining how they hardly had any time to act since the flames had already blocked their only means of exiting the apartment complex by the time Willow’s barking woke them up.
Related: Hero Rat Magawa, Record-Breaking Landmine Detector Dies
Pearston recounted the harrowing story to the paper, explaining how her boyfriend told her to get a rope so that she and Willow could exit through the bedroom window. “Then he tied off the rope on the bed and rappelled down,” she recalled.
It sound like they made it just in the nick of time, because by the time Jackson exited the building and looked back at their home, the entire building was shrouded in black smoke. While Pearston had nothing but kind words for the Kennewick Fire Department’s quick response, she still says that the family lost everything thanks to the fire.
“We have clothes to put on, but that was all after the fact,” she told the paper. “We didn’t have anything but pajamas and a dog on a carabiner and a rope.”
Related: Bird Signing the ‘Batman’ Theme Is the Hero We All Deserve
“We’re trying to figure out what steps to take next,” Pearston continued, gushing over Willow and adding that the pooch can now expect to be “spoiled for the rest of her days.” It sounds like Willow absolutely deserves to be spoiled after her heroics, and we’re sure there will be lots of treats and snuggles in her future.
Unfortunately, not everyone else was as lucky as Willow and her family, and several people were injured as a result of the fire, including one person who jumped out of their second-story window to escape the blaze.