'Come on, Charlie!': Dog Leaps From Window to Escape Burning House

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A dog made a daring escape from a burning home in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, when it leapt from a second-floor window to avoid the flames.

Video captured by Fleetwood resident Justin Steinmetz shows Charlie the dog “self-rescue,” as fire officials put it, when the pooch jumps out of an upstairs window, fur singed.

Steinmetz said he was driving through Fleetwood when he spotted the fire and alerted neighbors.

Footage shows one distressed dog dashing around a yard after it had escaped the lower level of the house. While Steinmetz was recording, he raced around the corner of the house and witnessed Charlie leaping out of an upstairs window while crying out in pain.

Steinmetz’s video shows rescuers attending to Charlie, and firefighters tackling the blaze. Later footage shows an occupant of the house holding a cat who also made a lucky escape.

Fleetwood Fire Company said it responded to a fire on West Jackson Street with units from Blandon and Walnuttown fire companies shortly before 8 am.

Firefighters said one dog was rescued “out the front door” and one dog “self-rescued by jumping out a window on its own.” A cat was found in a lower level unharmed while another cat remained missing.

The family who lived in the house are staying with nearby relatives, reports said. A GoFundMe campaign for the victims had raised over $40,000 at the time of writing. Credit: Justin Steinmetz via Storyful

Video Transcript

[WIND BLOWING]

- Holy--

[SIRENS WAILING IN BACKGROUND]

- This is so sad. Oh, hi puppy.

[DOG BARKING]

- I know come here, come here.

[WHISTLING]

Come here. Come here.

[DOG BARKING]

- I know, come here, your house is on fire. Come here.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING IN BACKGROUND]

[WIND BLOWING]

[DOG YELPING]

- Charlie, come on boy!

- Come on, buddy. Get me a ladder.

[DOG YELPING]

- Good boy, good boy, good boy.

- Oh my gosh. Roll him off, roll him off. Oh he's burnt up.

- whoa, whoa, whoa, watch out, watch out.

- He is burned. He came down.

- Oh my God, he's burned.

- Got a hose back there?

- Yes, there's a hose, there's a hose.

- Take him back and cool him off.

- Come on, come on, come on. Come on. Come on, buddy. Here, you hold him.

- Good girl, good girl, good girl.

- I can't-- the hose is right under the fire, so we got to bring it around.

[WIND BLOWING]

- Oh, wow.

[PANTING]

- (Yelling) This is as close as I can get it.

[YELLING IN BACKGROUND]

- (Yelling) Do you want to bring the dog over here?

[PANTING]

[WIND BLOWING]

[SIREN WAILING]

[PANTING]

- Oh my gosh. The hose won't get any closer. Hi puppy. She's all right, she's all right, she's all right.

- In the house. Can you bring him up here? Is he hurt?

- [INAUDIBLE]

[WIND BLOWING]

- Oh my gosh.

- What a shame.

[PEOPLE TALKING]

- Kitty made it, the kitty made it.

- Look at her.

- The kitty made it.

- Where did they find him?

- Downstairs. I would imagine that he'd be face down somewhere.

- Aw, Monkey.

- That is a lucky kitty.

- She's pretty--

- She's like, I'm too old for this.

- Lucky kitty.

- He may have used up three of those nine lives.

[LAUGHING]