Neighbor's Brave Actions Help Save Family Pet

A neighbor's quick thinking saved a family pet as fire swept through a Spring Hill home late Friday afternoon.

Spring Hill firefighters responding to multiple calls about 4 p.m. found the rear of 13333 Kane Road completely consumed by fire. No one was home at the time, except for a cat and a golden retriever.

A neighbor heard the dog barking next door and, when his own dogs began barking, stepped outside to investigate.

Smoke was rising from the back of the house, said Frank, who declined to give his full name.

Frank ran over to the back patio to see the back corner covered in flames.

He pulled a propane tank away from the fire.

Black smoke billowed out of the house when he opened the back door and yelled to see if anyone was home. No one answered.

"I couldn't hardly breathe" because of the smoke, he said.

Frank rescued the body of the cat lying by the doorframe and ran for his garden hose. It didn't reach far enough to be of any help.

The dog apparently escaped through the open door and was recovered on nearby Banyan Road.

Fire engines lined the entrance to Plantation Estates, north of Spring Hill Drive, and drug fat yellow hoses into the home.

The commanding fire officer had little immediate information about the source of the fire.