By Matt Bruce
The News-Journal
BUNNELL, Fla. — Wearing protective gear, Dennis Moore, Aaron Price and Brian Meehan forged into a Daytona North family’s backyard to battle an erratic brush fire that had spread onto the property in March.
When the three Flagler County firefighters got there, they found five dogs trapped inside an outdoor pen, scrambling for cover from the heat and flames.
Two of the dogs suffered third-degree burns. One of them, a 120-pound Great Dane, had dug itself a deep hole to try to escape the flames. The three firefighters rescued the animals by lifting them over a burning fence to pull them to safety.
On Tuesday afternoon, officials from the Flagler Humane Society honored the firefighters during a ceremony inside the county’s Emergency Operation Center in Bunnell.
“It feels good,” Meehan said. “It’s what we were there to do. It’s rewarding, definitely, to be able to help people out — and their loved ones.”
The March 24 brush fire forced fire officials to call for the evacuation of at least a dozen homes in the Daytona North area after gusting winds had fanned the flames for several hours. Officials said the wind blew embers from street to street in the rural residential neighborhood, causing rolling fires that eventually threatened about 20 homes.
Flagler County Fire Chief Don Petito said the flames, which rose to the treetops at one point, came within feet of some homes.
“We had to reposition trucks from one street to another street,” he said. “We just couldn’t get enough people there fast enough to catch up to this thing.”
The fire started on a 2-acre parcel near Cypress and Lemon streets, but quickly grew to 35 acres and spread to seven different streets. Meehan, Moore and Price, a fire crew out of Station No. 92, responded to a home on Walnut Avenue, where they encountered the dogs.
“There were a lot of things to take in at that point,” Moore said. “You had the homeowners and dog owners running in to get their animals, which is completely understandable. So you’re worried about them. You’re worried about getting the dogs out and, at the same time, you’re having to watch this very erratic fire that’s coming at you.”
Fire officials said the dogs were enclosed in a fenced area that allowed the animals to roam while the owners weren’t home. The barrier, however, also prevented them from escaping as the wildfire moved toward them.
Price remembered one frightened pit bull hiding beneath a trailer in the backyard, refusing to come out even as Price and his team tried to pull the dog out of danger. He credited the crew’s training for helping them to respond effectively.
“It’s something where the adrenaline kicks in and you get the job done,” he said. “It’s what we train for every day ... Training kicks in and you know what you’ve got to do and just do it. All you can think about is just getting them out and bringing them to safety.”
Harley, the Great Dane, had been burned prior to their arrival. The other injured dog was a male bluetick hound named Ashley. Both dogs were taken to Flagler Animal Hospital to be treated and they continue to undergo special treatments at St. Francis Animal Hospital in Jacksonville.
Harley suffered radiation burns primarily on his back, while Ashley endured thermal burns on his face and ears. Humane Society nurses said both dogs have undergone laser treatments and scrubs.
Dr. Dimitrije Bogunovic, a veterinarian at the Flagler Animal Hospital, has spent his days off the past three weeks driving the dogs to St. Francis for their required hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which includes putting the dogs in a pressurized oxygen chamber to treat their burns.
Ashley was at the EOC to meet his rescuers Tuesday. Harley remained in Jacksonville undergoing therapy.
Barbara Branning said she’s owned each of the five dogs for several years. Her eyes welled with tears as she talked about having Ashley back on Tuesday.
“They look wonderful. It feels great. All the help, it’s overwhelming.
“I’m very appreciative,” she added. “I don’t know what I would do without them (Ashley and Harley).”
Flagler Animal Hospital is helping care for the animals but those wishing to donate can do so through the Humane Society’s website at flaglerhumanesociety.org/donate.
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