KALAMAZOO, Mich. — When a garage fire spread to the upper level of Ian and Allisa Troutman’s home in Kalamazoo, they were terrified.
They quickly got their two children, Frank and Charlie, and one of their dogs, Mac, out of the home quickly.
However, their other dog, Roni, was still somewhere in the house, nowhere to be found.
A crew from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety arrived on scene in three minutes, and was able to contain the fire within an hour.
30 minutes into their job, the crew was notified that Roni was still somewhere in the house.
They located Roni in a closet. They believe she was there for around an hour and a half.
A member of the crew was able to safely get Roni out of the house and back to her family.
“We just were kind of expecting that she wasn’t going to make it out alive, and to see her walk out in their arms was such a relief, and we’re very grateful,” Allisa said.
“That was a really great bonus for us to be able to see that, to be able to get the family reunited with their pet,” said KDPS Lieutenant Tim Loso. “That’s a huge bonus for us.”
When Roni escaped the house, she was visibly shaken up by the fire. She had also inhaled lots of smoke.
Nicole Hainer, a veterinarian who lives just a block from the Troutmans, came to the scene to assess Roni.
Roni was then transported to theAnimal Emergency and Specialty Hospital of Byron Center, where she remains on oxygen as of Thursday evening.
Hainer told News Channel 3 it was a miracle Roni was able to survive for so long.
“If you think about it, the firefighters are the true heroes in this whole story,” she said. “They risked their lives, went in there to save a beloved pet, a family member, which I know means a lot to that family.”
Now, the Troutmans are ready to make their family whole again. They are overwhelmed by the support they have received from the community and feel grateful for the KDPS firefighters who saved a crucial member of their family.
“We’ll be back,” Ian said. “This is going to be a long journey, but the help that we’ve gotten already has just been tremendous.”
The Troutmans told News Channel 3 Roni is recovering well and they hope to pick her up from the hospital on Friday.
