NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — You may have seen blinding downpours and flashes of lightning Wednesday afternoon. One of those strikes set a house on fire in Norfolk. People in the neighborhood wasted little time and jumped into action.
The family, who lives in Norfolk’s Northside neighborhood, weren’t home when the fire started, but their three dogs were and were trapped. They say because of the actions of complete strangers, their pets are alive tonight.
“I was at work and got a frantic phone call and text message that the house had caught on fire,” said Madeline Wise.
Wise, who works at Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue, rushed to her childhood home on Granby Street and Leicester Avenue after getting a call from her dad.
“My stepmom is in the Navy,” Wise said. “She’s out of town and my dad was at dinner and the three dogs were home.”
During an afternoon of severe thunderstorms and flash floods, lightning hit the family’s home, igniting it.
“The whole reason that the dogs are alive is because a UPS driver and a good Samaritan who we believe is a Navy SEAL, actually kicked in the front door and went in to see if there was anybody and they found the dogs. One of the dogs was really scared and they took the time to chase her and get her out of the house,” Wise told 10 On Your Side.
Wise is also a vet tech and immediately checked her pets for smoke inhalation, giving them a clean bill of health. She tells us while her home is heavily damaged, she’s thankful for the quick actions of her neighbors and strangers that her four-legged family members are alive.
“One neighbor took in the dogs and another neighbor has taken in most of the stuff that we could get out of the house,” Wise said. “We are really thankful for the UPS driver and that other good Samaritan.”
Norfolk-Fire Rescue said the call came in at 3:48 p.m. The fire was put out by 4:34 p.m.
