In just two short days, a New Haven, Connecticut, veteran named Mike experienced two devastating events that changed his life forever. First, he was involved in a serious car crash. Then, an apartment fire destroyed all his possessions and left him homeless.
Now, a bit of sunshine has returned to Mike's life after firefighters combing through the debris discovered his beloved pitbull Spooky had survived the flames by hiding in a closet, the Connecticut Post reports.
"All of a sudden a big pit bull sat up in the middle of the debris," Kevin Plummer of United Cleaning and Restoration told the paper. "We grabbed him by the collar and brought him down to the ground. He didn't bark. He didn't growl. He's a good dog."
Spooky was rushed to a nearby veterinary hospital where he was reunited with two of Mike's other pets who survived the fire: a dog named Mona and a cat named Sunny. All three pets are recovering from smoke inhalation while Mike is in recovery at a nearby hospital for injuries he sustained in the car crash.
Unfortunately, three of Mike's other cats were killed in the apartment fire, which erupted in the pizzeria below before engulfing the entire building complex, Channel 8 News reported.
According to the New Haven Register, the fire started in the kitchen of La Degna Wood-Fired Pizza restaurant, possibly as a result of a malfunction with a new wood-fire stove the pizzeria had installed in December.
Luckily, firefighters were able to evacuate everyone in the building, including five people in the above apartments, and no humans were injured.
Now, neighbors are working to raise money for Mike's medical expenses, as well as veterinary costs for his surviving pets.
"[Mike] is a really good guy," neighbor Lisa Siedlarz told the Connecticut Post. "He served our country. He has lived here a really long time and to have this happen it is a series of tragic events."
Those interested in donating to Mike can visit the SoHu Neighborhood Association's website.
For more on this story, watch the video news report above and the raw footage below.