News crew rescues dogs trapped in house during California wildfires after owners seek help

News crew rescues dogs trapped in house during California wildfires after owners reach out for help

A news crew became part of the story when they went beyond reporting and rescued three dogs trapped in a house amid the California wildfires.

According to CBS, one of their teams stepped in after a dog owner reached out for help.

When the fires began raging, Andrea Pasinetti and his wife, Sixuan, were away from home for work.

Source: @cbsnews on Instagram

As the flames reached the Palisades in Los Angeles, Mr Pasinetti was in San Francisco, while his wife was overseas.

Concerned for their three dogs, Mr Pasinetti immediately booked a flight to Los Angeles to check on them.

Source: @cbsnews on Instagram

Upon arriving, his friend picked him up at the airport, and they headed toward the Palisades, bringing fire retardants and blankets for the rescue.

However, they were blocked by police at all intersections, just eight minutes from their destination. For safety reasons, the authorities had restricted access to the area.

“It’s this feeling of helplessness and devastation and also just the unknown,” Mr Pasinetti said. “Wanting to maintain hope, but also kind of bracing for the worst.”

Contacting the news crew

While discussing ways to rescue their dogs on the phone, Mr Pasinetti’s wife suddenly spotted the solution.

She saw CBS News’ Jonathan Vigliotti reporting from a high school just minutes away from their house.

Determined to reach the CBS team, the couple left no stone unturned in their search for a way to make contact.

“We started wracking our brains to see if we knew anyone who might be able to get in touch with Jonathan,” Mr Pasinetti said. They even reached out to him on X.

Thankfully, they were able to contact CBS News producer Christian Duran, a colleague of Mr Vigliotti.

Once the message was received, the two-person team headed to the house, described as being “on its last legs”.

All 3 dogs successfully rescued

As if the raging fire wasn’t enough, Mr Pasinetti’s three dogs were all rescues, meaning they were “pre-wired with a lot of anxiety”.

Despite the risks and nervous dogs, the two-person team managed to safely extract all three pups.

Once he heard the news, he felt both relief and disbelief.

The house, surrounded by flames, was reduced to ash just hours after the rescue.

“The circumstance probably couldn’t have been any more dramatic,” Mr Pasinetti shared.

Source: @cbsnews on Instagram

“I have never felt that mixture of joy and relief and exhaustion and despair and gratitude towards someone,” he said.

Though he lost his home, Mr Pasinetti found the outcome more sweet than bitter.

While many of his material possessions were destroyed in the fire, the experience gave him a new perspective on what truly matters in life.

“I think the possibility and prospect of losing something much more important, just put it into perspective,” he said.

Also read: California animal shelter takes in more than 300 pets affected by fires, some are covered in burns

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Featured image adapted from @cbsnews on Instagram.