Runners detect smoke while running, act immediately after realizing something is trapped inside

Paul Murphy was jogging in Scotts Valley, California, when he came across something that really made his pulse start to boil: Smoke coming from a house.

He approached the front door and rang the bell, trying to get the owner’s attention.

The Polito family, who lived at home, were suburban at the time. Thankfully, they installed the Ring doorbell, and Courtney Polito answered Murphy.

“I saw him running back and forth,” Courtney Polito said, according to WTHR-TV. “So I answered it and he said, ‘Hi, do you see any smoke coming from the roof of your house? “

Video from the doorbell recording shows plumes of gray smoke, and you can hear a smoke detector warning going off in the background.

When she realized the situation was dire, Courtney told Murphy that they pet remained inside and asked if he would be willing to come in and rescue them.

He said yes. She tells him the code, and he goes inside and manages to safely remove their two hounds, their cat, and their rabbit.

“It takes a special kind of person [to] into a burning house to save animals,” husband Tony admitted.

Thank you Murphy, more than just a family pet rescue, but the fire was contained before it consumed the entire house.

Courtney said: “The fire department said it was 10 minutes and the house would be gone.

While the fire was confined to the garage, the smoke penetrated the home, damaging cabinets and Christmas presents. The family car was also constantly damaged.

But Courtney is eternally grateful for the selfless measures Murphy took in the face of danger to save a complete stranger’s pet.

“I wanted to hug him,” Courtney said. “I will take him to lunch. I’ll bring him dinner. … I just wanted to thank him so much and let him know how grateful we are. My children, my husband, we would be devastated if we lost our pets let alone our house.”

Initially, the runner’s identity was unknown, but he was later identified and Politos was able to personally thank him, according to KSBW-TV.

It’s a modern miracle that the family has the Ring system installed and it can help prevent total loss. This is the first time, said Scotts Valley firefighter Andrew LoFranco.

“This is the first time our agency has had someone use the Ring doorbell system to alert 911 and homeowners,” he said.

According to KSBW, the Scotts Valley Fire Department may “offer a reward” for Muphy.

Either way, he was a hero for this family and their four pets.

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Amanda holds a Master’s degree in Rhetoric and TESOL from Cal Poly Pomona. After teaching composition and logic for several years, she began to write full-time and is particularly interested in topics related to animals.

As of January 2019, Amanda has written over 1,000 stories for The Western Journal but doesn’t really know how. A graduate of California State Polytechnic University with a Master’s degree in Rhetoric/Composition and TESOL, she wrote her thesis on metacognitive development and skill transfer between reading and writing in freshmen.
She has many hobbies that keep her busy, including trying new recipes, enjoying nature, discussing absurd topics, reading, drawing, people watching, curriculum development and write biography. Sometimes she has red hair, sometimes she has brown hair, sometimes she has teal hair.
With a book on effective communication strategies in the works, Amanda is also writing and illustrating several children’s books with her husband, Edward.

Location

Austin, Texas

Spoken language

English und ein bißchen Deutsch

Professional topics

Faith, Animals, Cooking