“We were outside with my telescope, looking at Jupiter with my next door neighbor,” neighbor Chip Dover told TODAY Parents. “We were getting ready to come in when we heard a big explosion, and the house just blew up. We ran over there immediately and it was burning like crazy, and then we realized the family was still inside.”

Using furniture on the porch, they broke the front windows of the Longwood, Florida home belonging to military veterans Margo and Brent Feaser.

“One of the neighbors saw an occupant in one of the rooms and picked up a table and smashed through the window, all the windows acutally, and pulled the woman to safety,” Seminole Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma told News 13.

“The employee [Margo, an auto theft investigator], when she initially came out, her primary concern was to get back inside and rescue her children. She is an absolute trouper. She is a hero within our organization, and her actions tonight demonstrated that behavior.”

Firefighters arrived moments later and pulled Brent to safety.  But his four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter were still inside, along with Maxx.  The heroic dog led firefighters through the smothering smoke to the children’s bedroom.

All of the family members, including Maxx, were taken to various hospitals for treatment of their serious to critical conditions, but all are expected to recover.

“We are grateful to the neighbors who jumped into action, and we especially thank the firefighters who selflessly entered the burning structure and risked their lives for the Feaser family,” said Sheriff Don Eslinger.

“There is a long road of recovery and rebuilding ahead, but our Sheriff’s Office family will be with Margo and her family every step of the way. We know our community is behind them too, and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support the family has received.”

A fundraiser has been set up to help the Feaser family cover their medical costs and find a new home.  If you would like to donate, please click here.

Checks and money orders may be made out to “Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Employee Benevolent Fund” and sent to 100 Bush Boulevard, Sanford, FL 32773, attention: “Feaser Family Fund.” Anyone with questions is asked to call 407-665-6880.

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That’s why the Plattsmouth Fire Department in Nebraska didn’t immediately believe the caller who told them that a 120-pound dog was stuck 20 feet up on a tree.

“We kind of looked at each other,” said Lieutenant Jon Hardy. “They can’t be serious.”

But when they arrived on the scene, sure enough, they saw Kora, who is three quarters Great Dane and one quarter Mastiff, perched on a large tree branch.

When her owner got home from dinner, she was surprised to not find Kora.  But she could hear her whimpering, and followed the sound to her backyard.  It is likely that she chased a raccoon up there.

Over a dozen responders came to help get the lumbering beastie down.  They wanted to put a leash or harness around her, but Kora wasn’t having it.  The team held a tarp below the branch in case she fell, and it’s a good thing they did.

Kora plummeted from the tree and gracefully landed on the safety net.  It was barely down before she took off to her house, glad to have all four paws back on solid ground.

“She never hit the ground.  It worked like we hoped,” Hardy said.  “I’ve been doing this 12 years and this is the first dog we got out of a tree.”

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