Family dog dies trying to protect baby in fire

BALTIMORE (Fox5DC and KTVU) - A family dog is being credited for giving up its life to save a baby from a house fire.

The fire broke out Sunday night in the 6800 block of Gough Street in Baltimore.

According to police, the baby’s mother, Erika Poremski, stepped out of her home and went to the car when her house caught fire. The mother suffered burns to her hands as she tried to get back into the home to save her 8-month-old daughter, Viviana, and the family dog, Polo.

However, the flames were too intense. "Erika was just screaming, ‘My baby, my baby!’ and running up and down the steps on the street,” said one neighbor. “And I went over to her right away and she was just kneeling and praying and screaming. And I just went to hold her, to comfort her."

Firefighters arrived at the home and took less than 30 minutes to put out the fire. When they went inside, they found the family dog in the room with its body shielding the baby from the flames.

Paramedics were able to revive the infant, who has severe burns on her face, arm and side. However, Polo did not survive the fire. The baby is hospitalized in the intensive care unit in serious condition.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A GoFundMe Page has been created for donations for the baby's medical treatment. It has raised over $30,000 so far.