Dog saves 2 boys from fire in Benguet

BENGUET, Philippines – Saved by man’s best friend.
 
Brothers Wilbur and Kurt Santos – 14 and 12, respectively – experienced this when a fire broke out in their house at the Philex Mining Corporation mine camp in Sitio Padcal in Tuba town.

The two boys were all alone in their 3-bedroom unit – part of an 8-bedroom building in the mine camp – on Saturday, May 13. Their father was working, while their mother was on vacation with their two siblings.

Wilbur was roused from sleep by the family pet, Miztah, who barked and scratched their bedroom door. Wilbur then saw that their house was filled with smoke.

After he woke up his younger brother, they ran outside and found out that their house was on fire. They immediately woke up their neighbors to help them put out the fire.

The boys and their neighbors used buckets of water to help control the fire as they waited for the firemen to arrive. Fire out was declared at 1:10 am, Sunday, but the small building was gutted.

The fire was reportedly triggered by faulty electric wires. Philex Mining officials said that safety personnel are investigating the incident.

The boys’ father was at work when the incident happened.
 
“I was so nervous when I was called from my work station underground,” said  Lander, 36, a first-class production miner at Padcal’s mine crushing and ore handling department.

“I was told there was a fire at our place, and I thought of my two boys who were sleeping when I left our house. My heart beat very fast as I was worrying about them,” he added.

Lander was grateful to find his children unharmed.  “Nothing was saved from our house, including the belongings of our housemates,” Lander said. “But the lives of my children are the most important. Thanks to God and to our hero dog, Miztah.”

Wilbur and Kurt took turns expressing their gratitude to their pet.
 
“If our dog Miztah did not bark and wake us up, I just don’t know what would have happened to me and my  younger brother,” Wilbur said.
 
Kurt said: “I am very thankful to God as he used Miztah to save us from the fire. Now we can continue with our life despite what  happened to our home.”

Lander and Anabelle Santos and their 4 children lived in the 3-bedroom unit in a building in Sitio Padcal’s Purok Upper Camp, which had a total of 8 bedrooms.

Annabelle was on a vacation in Tabuk, Kalinga, with the two other Santos children when the fire happened.

Two other project employees occupied a room each in the building but were also on vacation.  – Rappler.com