Tragedy struck in Mississippi on Monday at 12:40 am when a father attempted to rescue his family and the family’s dogs from a raging house fire. Though the brave father, Khanh Van Duong, was able to get his wife and their daughter out of the house, he died trying to rescue the dogs.
Local news, reporting on the horrific tragedy, reported that:
A father was killed in a Mississippi house fire while attempting to rescue the family’s dogs, officials said.
Tragically, all 10 dogs – two adults and eight puppies – also died in the fire.
According to the Jones County Fire Council, the fire happened Monday around 12:40 a.m. at a home in Soso.
Three adults were in the house at the time of the fire – 56-year-old Khanh Van Duong, his wife and their daughter.
Investigation revealed that Duong had alerted his wife and daughter to the fire and told them to escape, which firefighters said saved their lives. The two were not injured.
It was then that the tragedy struck. Duong, after rescuing his wife and daughter, tried to rescue the dogs, but didn’t make it out. He apparently got caught up in the smoke and firefighters were not able to rescue him from the blaze. WKYT, reporting on that, said:
However, Duong then tried to save the dogs, but got caught up in the smoke.
Firefighters tried to rescue Duong, but it was too late.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. According to the Jones County Fire Council, it originated in an addition to the house that served as a storage area.
Duong wasn’t the only casualty of the fire. He and the dogs died, and a firefighter there to attempt to put out the blaze and rescue him was injured by the fire. His injuries were reportedly minor enough that paramedics were able to treat them at the scene and he did not need to head to the emergency room.
The house was reportedly completely destroyed by the fire.