Dog Rescued By Firefighters, Credited For Alerting New Castle Man To House Fire

NEW CASTLE (KDKA) -- A dog in New Castle is getting some extra love this morning from his owner.

He says his best friend alerted him to a fire in his home, but that's only a part of the story.

When the fire broke out in Waddy Moses' home along Warren Avenue, he had no idea.

"I was in the bathroom and my dog came in and looked at me, gave me a little bark," Waddy said.

Waddy knew Diego was telling him something was wrong.

"And I walked down the hallway and the hallway was full of smoke," Waddy said.

Waddy then reached for Diego's collar.

"I couldn't see where I was going. He pulled loose and ran in one of the bedrooms. I went outside," Waddy said.

At this point, Diego didn't follow Waddy.

"I yelled at my neighbor to get a ladder. He got a ladder. I put it up on a second story roof, broke the windows, tried to go in, and there was smoke everywhere," Waddy said.

Waddy felt helpless, thinking that Diego was in the house and that he had lost him.

Firefighters from New Castle arrived and found Diego on the floor of one of the bedrooms and brought him outside of the home and gave him oxygen.

As Waddy watched the firefighters and medics work on Diego, he had to be thinking "not again."

"My dog Reo passed away two months ago from cancer," Waddy said.

When Waddy went to the Beaver Humane Society, there was Diego, looking similar to Reo.

Within five minutes, Waddy said he wanted Diego.

After a few frantic minutes outside of the home on Saturday, relief came as Diego responded.

The fire started in the back of the home, but the cause is still under investigation.