SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio family is calling their dog a hero after she alerted them to a fire at their west-side home. The family made it out, but sadly the dog died in the fire.
"Like I said, she's (in) heaven now," said Albert Enriquez, homeowner.
Fighting back tears, Albert Enriquez remember his beloved dog, Dingbat. The fire happened early Tuesday morning in the 2900 block of Tampico Street, near South Zamora.
"She let us know, that we were in trouble," said Enriquez.
Enriquez said Dingbat started barking causing him and his wife to wake up to see what was going on.
"I try to open the front door and she screams, 'hey the doors glowing,'" said Enriquez.
The front porch was fully engulfed, Enriquez said. After waking up his daughter, they made their way out the back but they couldn't find Dingbat, so Enriquez went back in.
"I could feel that heat coming down on me and the flames. I fell down. I took a big whiff of the smoke, I started choking on the ground. I got severe burns on my back, my neck, my hands," said Enriquez.
Enriquez got out of the hospital Thursday.
Fire officials said they suspect the fire was caused by a heat lamp used to keep the family's dogs warm outside, along with a car battery.
The family has lived there for more than 100 years, and now they've lost everything including memories of the family and memories of Dingbat. The only photos Enriquez said he had of her were on his phone, which also burned in the fire.
Enriquez said they would like to rebuild, but he's not sure if that's possible, so to help they have started a GoFundMe.
"I'm here to see if I can find her remains to try and giver her a proper burial. It's just sad that she had to be the one to go," said Enriquez.
If you can help the Enriquez family, you can click here.