Pala, California Man Saves Dog From Fire

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A Southern California man is lucky to be alive after he ran into his home, which was completely engulfed with flames, to rescue his beloved pet.

Jose Guzman tells PEOPLE that he has no regrets about heading into the massive multi-house blaze in Pala, California, to save his family’s 2-year-old blue nose pitbull named Gabanna.

“I knew something could’ve happened to me or both of us, but it didn’t go through my mind at the time,” Jose told PEOPLE. “That dog is part of my family. She’s been with us through downs and ups and I couldn’t leave her there. I would do it again if I had to; I would do it for anybody in my family.”

“I didn’t think it was mine because we had just left the house about an hour ago, but I decided to get in my truck and drive over there,” Jose explained.

On Sunday, Jose was attending a barbeque at his parents’ house with his fiancée Adriana Lopez and their three girls, Yvette, 2, Hazel, 4, and Yetzel, 6, when he was alerted of a fire in his neighborhood.
When he arrived, Jose realized that the fire had started at his neighbor’s house, but by that time, his home was engulfed in flames too. It was at that time that Jose also noticed the firefighters had run out of water due to the severity of the fire and required assistance from nearby stations.
Although his family was safe, Jose knew Gabanna was inside the home, which he said he moved into just two months ago. “I wasn’t gonna let her die like that,” he explained.

Without thinking, the father of three rushed past the firefighters and straight into the blazing home to rescue his dog. Jose said he found his pet hiding in the bathroom — the only room that wasn’t on fire in the home — curled up in a ball under the toilet.