A dog was found alive amongst rubble following an explosion that destroyed the home she lived in with her owners in Haymarket, Virginia, officials reported.
Last Tuesday, an explosion decimated a Coby Hunt Court house that was home to two couples, their children and their three pets. The couples and their children were unharmed as they evacuated the home before the explosion took place. However, the fates of their pets, who had been inside the house when the explosion occurred, were undetermined.
"Nothing's going to bring them back unless somehow they made it out alive, which I hope they did, but who knows where they are," said a resident of the house, Jarrett Struniak, to NBC 5.
On Monday, Prince William County Fire and Rescue received a call from someone reporting barking noises from within the rubble. Fire officials returned to the site of the explosion and worked to free the dog, a brindle pitbull named Brandy, who had survived despite being trapped under rubble for almost a week.
"The explosion was six days ago, so we were kind of shocked to hear that there was a dog possibly there still," said Gavin Morrison with Prince William County Fire and Rescue.
"Usually when we do make pet rescues and people rescues, it's at the time of the incident, said Lt. Mark Waldrop with Prince William County Fire and Rescue. "To go back six days later and get the dog out was a great feeling."
"Makes you feel good about your job when you do stuff like this," Waldrop continued.
The rescue, which took about half an hour, required fire officials to stabilize the rubble surrounding Brandy and then gently coax her out of the rubble, bribing her with treats.
"Dog treats and some ham turns out it ended up being the best," said Andrew Silvernale with Prince William County Fire and Rescue. "We were able to get the dog to trust us a little bit. The owner was there."
Prince William Professional Firefighters announced Brandy's successful rescue on their Facebook page, informing their audience that she would be reunited with family and was expected to make a full recovery.
"This morning, crews from the 1st Battalion were called to the home that exploded several days ago in Haymarket for a dog barking from inside the rubble. #Truck4 worked diligently to free the pup from collapsed home, reuniting her with her family," they wrote in the post on Monday. "After an incredible story of survival, the dog is expected to make a full recovery from incident."
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