— A Durham police officer on his lunch break was able to save a dog, but the residents of 503 Valleymede Drive lost just about everything else, firefighters said.

Durham police Cpl. Dante Ferrell saw smoke coming from the home and was the first to report the fire.

By the time he got to the home, Ferrell said, the second floor was engulfed in flames.

"I went to the door, saw the dog looking back at me out of the window, and, you know, went ahead and called it in on the radio," he said.

Ferrell kicked in the door to save the dog and check the house for people.

"I work in Internal Affairs, so I don’t have boots on. I kicked the door with some 2-year-old dress shoes, so I felt more of it on my foot than I liked," Ferrell said. "I had to kick it two or three times. My biggest concern was whether or not the dog was going to bite me once I kicked the door."

Ferrell was able to get the dog out and to determine that no one was home.

"Oddly enough, I know the owners," he said. Their sons played Little League together.

"I saw it, I knew it was more than a cookout or somebody burning leaves in their backyard. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Unfortunately for the house, it wasn’t, but I’m just glad somebody got here in time to save the dog," he said.