Hearing that your house is on fire has to be one of the most anxiety-inducing moments you could possibly experience. There’s a sense of helplessness that comes with knowing that all of your priceless belongings are burning and there’s nothing you can do about it.
But when you have a pet, the last thing you’d think about in a house fire is losing your belongings. Your only thoughts would be on your pet and making sure that they were safely away from the fire.
So when a man learned that his house was on fire, he instantly became worried about his 14-year-old rescue dog who was still inside. Luckily, a Good Samaritan passerby jumped into action and risked his own life to get the dog to safety. Despite the man’s act of bravery, he modestly claims that he is not a true hero, as he was just doing the right thing at the right time.
The Good Samaritan was named Joe Loduha, a former emergency medical technician. He was on his way to a carpentry job when he spotted the house fire. Despite not knowing the homeowner, Otis, Joe decided to stop and see if he could help in any way. The neighbors had already called 911, so Joe’s thoughts turned to if anyone was inside.
“I jumped out of my car, screaming, ‘Is anyone inside? Is anyone inside?'” Joe told CBS 58.
As soon as Joe learned that Otis’ dog, Darma, was trapped inside, he knew that he had to do something. If he had driven away and left the dog inside, the thought would have plagued him for the rest of his life.
“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, ’cause no matter what, there’s a life in there,” Joe said. “I was afraid that if I knew this was going on, and if I didn’t do something, if I didn’t act … that would really weigh on my conscience,” he said.
The hero passerby immediately ran to the front door of the house and broke in, where he found Darma relaxing on the couch. As the fire had not yet spread to that part of the house, the dog looked at Joe curiously as if he might be about to take her for a walk. She didn’t yet know that he was actually here to save her life.
Joe downplayed his heroism, telling CBS that he wasn’t in any immediate danger.
“Sure, it was dangerous, and maybe not too smart, but in my mind I knew that I could get in and get out,” Joe explained.
He then checked if there was anyone in the other rooms of the house, putting himself further at risk. He had inhaled an excessive amount of smoke from being in the house and had cut his leg from breaking through the front door. But luckily, a medical team was still on hand to help.
As for Darma, she was completely fine – and it was all thanks to Joe.
When Otis returned home, he couldn’t express enough gratitude to the man who had saved his dog. He wasn’t at all worried about his belongings and instead was just thankful that everybody was safe.
“It struck me that this is how real people should feel,” said Joe. “These are just material things, and he didn’t care at all, like less than I probably would have.”
We think that Joe did an amazing thing! Watch his interview in full below.
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