ORLANDO, Fla. --
Sunday night, fire badly damaged a College Park home. Although there weren't any people in the home at the time, the family is mourning the loss of several pets that were trapped inside.
As thick smoke filled the house, the dogs inside were quickly overwhelmed. Firefighters pulled out one, then another before they found a survivor.
"The third dog was in distress in the front yard," said Lt. Sue Brown of the Orlando Police Department.
The 15-year-old German Shepherd was too weak to walk, but as firefighters provided him with oxygen they saw signs of life.
"We gave the owner police escort to an emergency vet clinic to try to save that third dog," Brown said. "They were waiting for us at the front door because we called ahead."
Firefighters said twenty percent of the house was seriously damaged and two of the dogs didn't pull through, but Monday morning their thoughts are with the one who did.
"The man's lost a lot of his house. He's lost two of his three dogs. I've got a lot of pets myself and you got to do what you can to save the dog," Brown added. "I just hope the dog's okay."
Most of the damage was to the back of the house. Firefighters said there will be an investigation into how the fire started.