Seconds from disaster: NJ police storm burning home to rescue dog

You're out for a walk and you smell something.

Maybe someone is having a fire, a cookout, hmm, no, it smells more intense and not so good.

Then you notice a house you pass by every day is on fire. Thinking quickly, a passerby saw this earlier this month and smartly called 911 immediately.

Egg Harbor Township house fire sparks urgent police response

On March 2 around 3 p.m., Egg Harbor Township police got a call about a house that had smoke pouring off the roof and the flames were about to intensify.

Egg Harbor Township Police Officers Christopher Wagner, Darren Hewitt, Louis Orlando and Sargent Steven McKenney quickly arrived at the scene and acted immediately to get anyone out of the house.

Officers Hewitt and Wagner attempted to make contact with the homeowners by knocking on the front door at first, but hearing nothing from inside, they kicked the door open.

After yelling out to anyone who was in the house, and searching room to room, the house seemed clear of people but when the police officers searched upstairs, they found the family dog was still at home, nervously walking around upstairs.

Dramatic dog rescue turns into race against time

As smoke started to pour into the house, and the heat intensified, Officers knew they did not have much time at all to get this canine out.

Unfortunately, the dog was not going to be brought out easily.

The dog was afraid of the officers. After a minute or two of the four officers trying t corral the dog, a brave neighbor came into the house to help out.

With the neighbors' help, the Officers were able to get the dog out of the house safely, and only moments later, the home collapsed.

"I want to thank the police officers, the fire department and citizens in general for what they've done to help my family," homeowner Paul Remer said.

Investigators believe the fire was an accident and likely caused by a heating unit in the attic.

Because Officers Wagner, Hewitt, Orlando, and Sargent McKenny put their own safety aside to make sure other lives weren't at risk inside a burning home, a beloved family dog was able to make it out unharmed.

If the officers had arrived minutes later than they did, this would be a different story.

They are our Blue Friday honorees this week.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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