A brave dog has been dubbed a hero after sacrificing his life in order to save his family from an unexpected house fire.
The incident occurred in Florida where Leroy Butler and his family were sleeping peacefully as their house caught on fire.
While the home was equipped with a fire alarm, the system only beeped for a few seconds before giving up, failing to wake up the family.
Zippy the Jack Russell Terrier, however, immediately realized the danger and started going from room to room to wake up everyone in the house.
While all family members managed to run out of the house in time, Leroy was left heartbroken as he realized that Zippy remained trapped inside.
As Leroy explained, he tried to go back inside to rescue Zippy but the home was already consumed by flames, leaving him with no option but to wait for the firemen.
“The floor in the living room was all on fire so there was nowhere for him to run out. He was a short little dog. There was nowhere for him to go,” Leroy told Fox News.
“Zippy was just a little Jack Russell terrier, a little black and white dog we adopted 3-4 years ago and he’s just been the house pet.
“He was real helpful and we’re going to miss him. He did his job, we rescued him, and I guess he returned the favor.”
According to the firefighters, the fire started in the attic of the home. The cause, however, remains unknown.
After the incident went viral, people applauded the dog for saving his humans.
“RIP little zippy. You are a hero. Bless your soul little guy, I hope you feel the love we all have for you,” someone wrote.
“He was more than a good dog! Bless you Zippy. Man so sad,” another one said.
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Replaced!