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Dog saves Florida homeowner's life after alerting him about house fire

Orange County Fire Rescue says crews reported to a house fire around 3 a.m. Wednesday after the house was struck by lightning.
Credit: Orange County Fire Rescue

TANGERINE, Fla. — It turns out that dogs truly are a man's best friend. 

A Tangerine, Florida man is very thankful for his four-legged companion after a fire reportedly swallowed eighty percent of his 7,000 square foot home early Wednesday morning. Joel Rosa told WESH 2 News he was asleep when his dog barked to wake him up.

The large house was struck by lightning which caused it to go up in flames around 3 a.m., the news station reported.

Luckily, both Rosa and his dog reportedly made it out uninjured.

Orange County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Lisa McDonald told the Orlando Sentinel that three tanker trucks acted quickly when firefighters saw flames shooting through the roof.

The news outlet also reported that there was a partial collapse in one area of the house although firefighters were able to put out the fire. 

Rosa told WESH 2 News that experiencing such an unimaginable event was very scary for him. 

"She's my hero. I love my dog and, you know, it's amazing," Rosa told the news station. "She saved my life."

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