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WEBVTT O HIS BEST FRIEND. KRISTYNA ENGDAHL HAS THIS STORY. >> YOU'LL ALWAYS FIND COCOA THE RESCUE DOG LOOKING FOR A BALL TOFETCH OR LOOKING OUT FOR HER BEST FRIEND. >> SHE SAVED ME. >> WHEN SHE SENSED SOMETHING WRONG THURSDAY MORNING IT WAS COCOA'S TURN TO DO THE RESCUING.>> SHE WAS JUMPING AND ACTING STRANGE. >> FREDDIE WHO IS BATTLING CANCER AND RECENTLY SUFFERED A STROKE SAYS IT WAS THEN HE SMELLED THE SMOKE. >> I WAS INHALING IT. AND IT BURNED REAL BAD. >> IT WAS CAT BE STROFK. A TOTALLOSS AGAIN OF THE HOUSE THAT WE HAD GROWN UP IN OUR WHOLE LIVES.>> HIS DAUGHTER SHOWED THE DAMAGE, WHERE FIRE WHIPPED THROUGH THE ATTIC INTO THE BEDROOM. >> QUICKLY QUICKLY. >> WITH ONLY ONE WAY TO ESCAPE. >> THIS WAS THE PART OF THE HOUSE THAT STARTED ON FIRE. HE JUST WENT RIGHT INTO IT. >> FIRE SPREAD SILENTLY INTO THEWALLS. >> TO SEE IT LIKE THIS AND TO SEE THAT SOMEBODY WALKED OUT OKAY. >> BECAUSE OF HIS MEDICINES, THEY THINK HE WOULD HAVE SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. >> WE'RE VERY THANKFUL THAT WE HAD COCOA, SHE IS A LIFE SAFER. >> BUT COCOA'S QUICK RG THINKINGSAVED HIS LIFE AND FIREFIGHTERS SAVED FAMILY PICTURES. >> IT WAS QUITE A MIRACLE. WE ALL SEE THAT IT WAS. >> THE BEN OS I IS SAFE, THE ONLY THING LEFT TO DO IS REBUILD. >> IT WILL BE BEAUTY FROM THE ASHES GUYS. >> YES. >> I'M THANKFUL FOR MY DOG AND EVERYTHING. >> THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS STILL INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. FIREFIGHTERS WERE ALSO

Advertisement Rescue dog rescues owner from early-morning house fire “She saved me. I'm thankful for my dog.” Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An early morning fire nearly destroyed a man’s home in Ponca Hills. But he survived thanks to his best friend. Freddie Bonacci was in bed asleep on Thursday, when his dog Coco woke him up. “She was jumping and acting strange,” Bonacci recalled. Fire had spread from the home’s patio into the attic and ceiling. As flames infiltrated the walls, Bonacci didn’t stir until Coco’s desperate pleas for attention. “She saved me,” said Bonacci, “I'm thankful for my dog.” Bonacci is currently battling cancer and recently survived a stroke. He takes medication to help him sleep. His daughters are convinced if not for Coco, Bonacci would have never woke up. “We're really thankful we have Coco,” Melissa Bonacci, Freddie’s daughter, said, “She is a life-saver.” Bonacci, who has limited mobility due to his health, had to walk through flames to escape the burning house. Omaha and Ponca Hills firefighters were able to save several family heirlooms. They recovered two American flags from the home. One belonged to Freddie, the other to his father. Both men served in the military “To see some of these things survive is really, really special,” said Melissa Bonacci, as she surveyed the inside of the scorched home. But the Bonacci’s know things can be replaced. They’re most thankful their father survived. And they’re thankful Coco was there to help him. “It was really quite a miracle,” Melissa Bonacci, said, “I think we all see that is was.” Ponca Hills Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. They were also able to rescue the family cat from within the home.