Victim thanks firefighters for saving 15 puppies from burning Eastpointe house
EASTPOINTE, Mich., (CBS DETROIT) – A family in Eastpointe survives a fast-moving fire Sunday morning, and now one of the victims, Cheryl Hansen, is thanking firefighters for rescuing more than a dozen puppies from the burning house.
"My husband was screaming to 'Get out of the house. There's a fire! There's a fire!'" Hansen said.
It's what woke Hansen up just before 4 a.m., who was sleeping on the living room couch next to the family's litter of seven-week-old Rottweiler puppies.
Hansen focused on saving the pups as her husband tried to douse the flames with a garden hose.
"We threw the whelping gate out the door, and with the smoke and stuff, the puppies were scared they ran," Hansen said.
But just in the nick of time, the first wave of firefighters was pulling up.
"I was screaming and yelling, 'Please just get my animals! Please just get my animals!' and some fire members, they were all over it. We were counting as they were bringing them out, and we were putting him in my best friend's car. And they got all 15 of them, the cat and my older dog, Copper, was so scared he was hiding, and they grabbed him up and got him out," Hansen said.
A day later, all the puppies are doing just fine, staying with one of Hansen's friends.
"It's absolutely a miracle. Absolutely. I was so frightened. And just to have each and every one of them was something totally amazing. I couldn't ask for anything more." Hansen said.
Besides the animals, Hansen's two sons and her husband made it out of the house safely. But they've lost much of what they had inside. A family friend has set up a GoFundMe campaign for them.
"I've never been put into this predicament, and I never thought I was one of those people–never happened to me–well, I'm not invincible. Things do happen every day, and we don't even think about it," Hansen said.
She remains forever grateful to the firefighters from Eastpointe, Warren, St. Claire Shores and Roseville who responded to the call.
"Bless you all for doing a wonderful job. And it wasn't for you guys. I don't know everything would be different, Hansen said. "Thank you again for putting your life on the line for every family you helped."
The official cause of the fire is still under investigation. But Hansen said they believe it started near the electrical box in the basement.