Roommate runs back into burning apartment to save dog
A man is feeling extra thankful after his roommate ran back into their burning apartment to save his dog.
On Thanksgiving morning just before 5 a.m., the Colorado Springs Fire Department responded to an eight-plex engulfed in flames.
Jesse Klopfenstein woke up to his neighbors, yelling, “fire! fire!”
“The whole bed in the other room was engulfed and the ceiling had caught fire,” Klopfenstein said.
He ran outside with his dog, Cooper in hand, then realizing his roommate’s dog, Gidget was still inside.
He left Cooper with a neighbor and risked his life to try and save her. He said, “I’ve known this dog since she was three. She’s 10 now so she’s part of the family and I know my best friend, he’s like a brother to me so if she wasn’t here with us today I don’t know what kind of mindset he would have been in.”
He found Gidget hiding under their table, picked her up and ran back outside.
His roommate, Michael Dale, was visiting family in New Jersey for the holiday when he got the call. After seeing pictures of the damage he said, “I’m pretty sure it’s all gone.”
Both roommates believe they lost most of everything inside. Dale said, “I’ve got the clothes packed from vacation and that’s about all I have.”
They are staying in hotels and looking for a new place to live. The dogs are currently being housed a shelter while the roommates find a new place to live.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been released.
