No matter how much we check everything, sometimes accidents happen.

Learning how to call 9-1-1, using fire extinguishers, and locking and unlocking the doors, are just some things that we should know, in case something unexpected happens.

One morning in the peaceful Coventry neighborhood, Athena DiBenedetto, John Salisbury, and their son went out for breakfast.

They locked their doors, checked the locks, and left the house confident that their three dogs would be safe inside.

After more than an hour, best friends Anthony Lombardi, 12, and Mario Comella, 13, went outside to play. They had their bikes and were chatting when they noticed something.

They heard the fire alarm from their friend’s home.

The two boys rushed to the house to investigate, and then they heard the dogs barking.

“We saw the dogs, they were panicking and barking, and it was so loud,” Anthony said in an interview with WPRI.

Upon further investigation, the boys saw smoke coming out of the house. They grabbed a phone and called their friend.

The homeowner’s son answered the call and to his surprise, learned that their home was on fire. He handed his phone to his father.

John Salisbury gave the boys the code for their home, and quickly, the two boys opened the door.

They yelled for the dogs, Boo, Faith, and Chase.

Faith and Boo were the only ones who emerged. Chase was confined in his crate with no way to escape.

Mario ran inside without thinking twice. The other boy then called 9-1-1.

Both Mario and Chase got out unharmed. Soon, the homeowners arrived home, and when they saw their three dogs and the two boys safe, they were relieved.

There was only minimal damage from the fire thanks to the two young heroes.

“With all of the smoke billowing in the house, he didn’t even think twice,” DiBenedetto said in his interview. “He ran in and let the dog out.”

What caused the fire? One of his beloved dogs flipped the switch and set the stove to high temperature. This ignited the cutting board that was just on top of the stove and it smothered for an hour, causing lots of smoke and then the fire.

“It was very emotional. Those are my babies,” DiBenedetto recalled.

It wasn’t the start of the year they imagined, but the house and all three dogs were safe, and there was a lesson from it.

The family was happy to have little heroes in their lives.

“I still can’t watch [the security video] without getting teary-eyed and thinking about what would have happened if they were there five or 10 minutes later,” said John Salisbury.

Mario, the boy who ran inside, knew that what he did was dangerous.

According to him, his uncle’s dog died in the same way, so he promised himself that he will save Chase, and he did.

Their community is proud to have heroes like Mario and Anthony.

Watch the full video below and don’t forget to share this for awareness.

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Article Sources:

WPRI

Inside Edition

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By Ma Fatima Garcia

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Ma Fatima Garcia is a contributor at SBLY Media.