SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. (WFLA) — A Safety Harbor family’s pet saved them from a house fire on New Year’s Eve.
A single mom, whose home was destroyed in a house fire, found comfort in an unlikely hero, her loyal dog, Macho. Thanks to Macho, her son was able to escape just in the nick of time.
“He just kept going at him and then he just gave him a nip, a couple of them and wake him up. And Griffin said, ‘What’s happening?’. And as soon as he turned around, there was just no doubt he had to go. He had to go quickly,” the boy’s mother, Nicole Evans, said.
Evans was out of town when she got the call her house was in flames on Sunday. The family’s dog realized something wasn’t right, so he woke up her teenage son Griffin, to alert him about the fire.
“It was probably the worst experience of my life to not be with the person you love the most while something’s happening to them that you can’t do something about,” Evans said.
Evans has lived in Safety Harbor for two decades, while she may be starting the new year without a home, it is not without support.
“I have neighbors and friends in this community who have stepped up beyond what any person could ever imagine that people would do for them. And before I was even able to get my wits about me, I already had people telling me it was going to be okay,” Evans said.
Through the dog’s quick thinking and unwavering loyalty, Evans said is priceless.
“All those things are just things and there are things and some of those things do matter. They do, but in the end, it’s all replaceable. He’s not replaceable, my dog is not replaceable, cat and I would have wouldn’t have wanted it to have resulted in anything other than this,” Evans said.
The Safety Harbor Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The family said their home is a total loss. A GoFundMe is set up to help the Evans family. You can donate by clicking the link here.