A POLICEWOMAN risked her life to rescue a five-year-old dog trapped in a burning building on Monday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2022 in Barangay Liloan, Santander town, southern Cebu.
Patrolwoman Mona Lee Saludar, 26, narrated that the dog was hiding under a table near the kitchen of Kingdom Resort while the fire engulfed the second floor of the building.
The black Labrador Retriever named Daebak is one of the three dogs of resort owners Sim Sunbo and Han Eun Kyeung, both Korean nationals.
They were in Dumaguete City when the fire happened. The fire started in their room on the second floor where their two small dogs, a poodle and a shih tzu, were staying.
When the caretakers noticed thick smoke from the room, they opened the door and the two small dogs ran downstairs and got out of the building.
Daebak, who was staying on the ground floor, also ran out when the fire started but went back in.
Saludar said that at around 2 p.m., they got a call at the police station about the fire.
When they arrived at the scene, the fire was already out of control because the second floor was made of light materials.
She asked one of the resort employees if no one was trapped inside, and she was told that their Labrador was inside and they didn’t know how to get him out.
Saludar said she saw Daebak just sitting under a table and she immediately got the urge to save the dog.
Despite the risk, Saludar decided to rescue the dog. The firemen wet her clothes to cushion the effect of the heat inside the burning building.
She admitted that she was worried that burning debris might fall on her, but she was determined to save Daebak.
Saludar was able to rescue Daebak, but it took some time convincing him.
At 5 p.m., the Korean couple arrived and Daebak, as well as the two small dogs, were reunited with them.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. The fire damage was pegged at P1.5 million.
Saludar joined the police service in 2018. After finishing her training in 2019, she was assigned at the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas.
She was among the Covid-19 frontliners who secured locked down areas when the pandemic started. (PR)