With no way to outrun a raging wildfire, a dog dug a deep hole to hide her nine puppies from the smoke and flames. Then she buried herself under a metal container to ride out the blaze.

The wildfire near Valparaiso, Chile, had burned for days, driving thousands from their homes. Video shows firefighters battling walls of bright orange and yellow flame sweeping up hills and across a countryside covered in dry brush.

As firefighters brought the flames under control, local residents began telling them about seeing a dog leading a litter of small puppies away from the fire. It set off a frantic search leading to the hole were the puppies, just two weeks old, were buried.

Fire workers spent almost an hour retrieving the pups from the deep hole. And in the end, all nine were pulled to safety — healthy and uninjured in the fire.

At the same time, rescuers dug and coaxed the mother out of her shelter to reunite her with her pups.

The story of the heroic dog and her puppies has become a bright spot in Chile’s hot, dry fire season.

The dog has a new name, “Blackey,” and the family of strays now has a long list of people clamoring to give them new homes.

(WATCH the videos below) Photo credit: Chile’s Megavision

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