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BALTIMORE, Md. – An 8-month-old baby girl is alive thanks to an act of heroism by the family’s dog, WBAL-TV reports.

Erika Poremski, of Baltimore, told WBAL-TV she stepped out of her car when she turned around to see her house engulfed in flames, and her baby was trapped on the second floor.

Poremski desperately tried to get to her, even burning her hands and her face, but she was unsuccessful, FOX 59 reported.

“I just heard her crying and I couldn’t get to her,” Poremski said.

Firefighters entered the home to rescue the infant, and they found their family dog Polo in the room covering her with his body.

“He stayed with her the whole time in the bedroom and wouldn’t even come downstairs to get out the door,” said Poremski.

Paramedics revived the infant. She has burns on the side of her face and her arm. But firefighters believe she would not have survived if it weren’t for Polo.

Unfortunately, Polo did not survive the fire. “He was my first baby and now I lost him,” Poremski said.

The infant is in serious condition. The family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the baby’s medical expenses.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.