‘Come on Charlie’ Dog recorded leaping from window of burning house in Pennsylvania

A dog made a daring escape from a burning home in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, when it leapt from a second-floor window to avoid the flames.

Video captured by Fleetwood resident Justin Steinmetz shows Charlie the dog “self-rescue,” as fire officials put it, when the pooch jumps out of an upstairs window, fur singed.

Steinmetz said he was driving through Fleetwood when he spotted the fire and alerted neighbors.

Footage shows one distressed dog dashing around a yard after it had escaped the lower level of the house. While Steinmetz was recording, he raced around the corner of the house and witnessed Charlie leaping out of an upstairs window while crying out in pain.

Steinmetz’s video shows rescuers attending to Charlie, and firefighters tackling the blaze. Later footage shows an occupant of the house holding a cat who also made a lucky escape.

Fleetwood Fire Company said it responded to a fire on West Jackson Street with units from Blandon and Walnuttown fire companies shortly before 8 am.

Firefighters said one dog was rescued “out the front door” and one dog “self-rescued by jumping out a window on its own.” A cat was found in a lower level unharmed while another cat remained missing.

The family who lived in the house are staying with nearby relatives, reports said. A GoFundMe campaign for the victims had raised over $40,000 at the time of writing.

Credit: Justin Steinmetz via Storyful

This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 2:09 PM.