Watch 2 Young Heroes Save Their Neighbors’ 3 Dogs From a Burning Home

One of the boys even ran inside the smoke-filled home to free a puppy from his crate. By Austin Cannon February 08, 2022 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print
german shepherd at home Credit: Nikolaos Killas / EyeEm / Getty

After hearing fire alarms, a pair of quick-thinking Rhode Island boys were able to save their neighbors' three dogs from a smoky home on New Year's Day. The incredible rescue was caught on a doorbell security camera. 

According to local TV news station WPRI, friends Anthony Lombardi, 12, and Mario Comella, 13, were riding their bicycles through their Coventry neighborhood when they heard the alarms coming from their friend's house. They noticed that smoke—caused by a cutting board left on a stovetop—was filling the home and called their friend. 

"We saw the dogs, they were panicking and barking, and it was so loud," Lombardi told the TV station.

Their friend gave them the code to open the front door, and two of the dogs escaped: Boo and Faith. But Chase, a German shepherd puppy, was locked in his crate. Comella, whose uncle lost his dog in a fire last year, bravely ran in and retrieved him. 

"I was thinking, 'This happened to my uncle, so I'm not going to let this happen to my friend,'" the boy told WPRI. 

RELATED: Hero Jogger Stops at Burning Home, Uses Ring Doorbell to Get Inside and Rescue Pets 

The home's residents, Athena DiBenedetto and John Salisbury, were out to breakfast. One of their dogs had accidentally turned on one of their stove's burners, causing the cutting board to smolder for an hour, Salisbury told WPRI. 

"I still can't watch [the security video] without getting teary-eyed and thinking about what would have happened if they were there five or 10 minutes later," he said. 

Thankfully, this pair of young heroes was on the scene.