Woman Credits 11-Year-Old And His Dog For Helping Save Her Home From Flames
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A dog's strong sense of smell and an 11-year-old's quick thinking. Those are the two things a Sacramento woman credits as reasons her home wasn't destroyed in a fire.
"Your worst nightmare come true. You never expect it will happen to you," said Stacey Bass, whose home caught fire on Thursday.
She spent Friday morning assessing the destruction left behind after flames took over part of her home Thursday afternoon. Her car, garage, and several sentimental family heirlooms gone.
"Those things can be replaced," Bass said, adding the losses could have been far worse. She credits the words of her 11-year-old neighbor, David, for saving the day.
"Miss Stacey, Miss Stacey – your house is on fire! And I was like really, no. You're playing with me," Bass said.
But David Galvez knew this wasn't a joke. He said it was his dog Chewy that let him know something wasn't right. Chewy was scratching at the door, begging to go outside, and Galvez thought he just wanted to go for a walk.
"If it weren't for Chewy scratching at the door, our house could have been burnt too," Galvez said. "Her house could have been damaged a lot."
When they got outside, Galvez was shocked at what he found.
"There's a lot of white smoke clouding around," he said. "It seemed suspicious."
All of it escalated within seconds, photos show how fast flames consumed parts of Stacey's home. Galvez's mother, Christine Soto, was the one who called 911.
"I just wanted to make sure Stacey wasn't in the garage at the time," Soto said. "If they didn't get here when they did, it would have been a lot worse."
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded to the fire and later shared a photo surrounding Galvez, commending him and his quick actions - adding he's welcome to join the ranks anytime.
As for what caused the fire, Bass said she's still working with the fire department to find out.
