COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. -- If Jake Jenkins could change one thing about his Christmas Day, he would have noticed his neighbor's apartment burning a few minutes earlier. Colonial Heights fire officials said a family's dog was killed in an apartment blaze on Newcastle Drive Sunday night.
Jenkins said he and his father busted down the front door, pulled the dog from the burning apartment, and gave the pet CPR for 30 minutes; however, there was little they could do for him at that point.
Jake Jenkins
"You could see kitchen from the front door, but the smoke was so thick you couldn't see the flames," he said. "We didn't know anybody was home. Somebody had said they had left, but they said the dog was in there. We didn't know how long the fire department was going to be before they got there, so we took action."
Photos from the scene show smoke billowing from both floors of the apartment unit and flames shooting out of the back window. A Colonial Heights firefighter was injured and treated for minor injuries at Southside Regional Medical Center.
The Red Cross was contacted to help two families displaced by the fire.
Jenkins said he is "heartbroken" for the family that lost their dog and most of the belongings on Christmas Day. He said he hopes they will be able to see through the pain they are likely feeling right now.
"I would say just keep your head because it will all get better eventually," Jenkins said. "It's sad.... I mean it will pass."
Fire officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Dispatchers told CBS 6 more information would likely be released on Tuesday.
