A dog who survived a devastating fire in North August, S.C., is being called a "miracle" by firefighters.
When 9-month-old Rottweiler, golden retriever mix Bear didn't come running out of his owners' burning home on Wednesday, the Hebbard family thought the worst.
"[The house] was engulfed in flames and there was smoke everywhere," Troy Hebbard told WFXG. "The windows were blown out, fire was pouring out of the chimney."
Hebbard's brother, Ryan, 16, had tried to run in to rescue Bear and the family's other dog, Ginger, but the smoke was too thick. Ginger luckily escaped. But hours passed with no appearance from Bear. Firefighters, meanwhile, worked to "surround and drown" the house, calling it "a total loss," WRDW reported.
Then, they found the pup -- hiding in a closet in the basement -- the only part of the house not touched by fire.
North Augusta Public Safety Lt. Tim Thornton told the Augusta Chronicle that the cause of the fire was unknown.
But Hebbard's father, John, maintained an inspirational outlook while he watched crews extinguish the flames.
"All of us are out," he told the Chronicle. "The rest of it you can replace."
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