BALTIMORE, MD – An 8-month-old baby girl is alive thanks to an act of heroism by the family’s dog, WBAL-TV reports.
Erika Poremski, of Baltimore, told WBAL-TV she had stepped out of the house to go to her car when the fire started, leaving her baby trapped on the second floor.
The blaze spread so quickly that Poremski says she couldn’t get to her child, despite several desperate attempts that left her hands and face burned.
“I just heard her crying and I couldn’t get to her,” Poremski said.
When firefighters were finally able to enter the home to look for the infant, they made an incredible discovery on the second floor – they found the family dog, Polo, covering the child with his body.
“He stayed with her the whole time in the bedroom and wouldn’t even come downstairs to get out the door,” said Poremski.
Paramedics revived the infant. She has burns on the side of her face and her arm. But firefighters believe she would not have survived if it weren’t for Polo.
Unfortunately, Polo did not survive the fire. “He was my first baby and now I lost him,” Poremski said.
The infant is in serious condition. The family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the baby’s medical expenses.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
