On Wednesday afternoon, a two year old pit bull named Ace became a bonafide hero.
At 1:11 pm, firefighters were called to Ace’s house in Indianapolis. By the time they arrived, flames had enveloped the garage, but Ace and his owner, thirteen-year-old Nick Lamb, had already escaped the house.
Nick is deaf and was asleep when the fire started. The dog, knowing that Nick would not wake up until he could smell the smoke, ran into his best friend’s room and licked his face until he woke up. Nick and Ace then exited out the back door while Nick covered his face with his t-shirt. They then called his mother and 911. The house sustained $175,000 in damage, but Nick and Ace were entirely unharmed.
The family also has a cat, Pixie, who was rescued from the house by Indianapolis firefighters. Pixie inhaled some smoke and spent the night at the vet, but it appears that she will be just fine, as well.
Nick’s mother, Lindsay Bernard, who was at work at the time, credits Ace and Nick’s teachers for helping him get out of the house safely. Ace smelled the smoke and quickly alerted his owner, who was not wearing his cochlear implants and thus could not hear his barks. Nick, once awake, knew from fire drills at school to cover his mouth and immediately and calmly take the nearest clear exit in his home.
“(Lamb) told firefighters that this was the first summer he was old enough to stay home alone and was excited to have reached that milestone,” Fire Department Captain Rita Reith said in a news release. “He had just returned from summer camp on Sunday.”
Nick is certainly lucky to have Ace by his side, but we’re guessing, judging by Ace’s actions on Wednesday, that the feeling is mutual.
h/t to The Lafayette Journal & Courier. Featured photo via The Indianapolis Fire Department
