California husband saves wife, dog from burning home ahead of Christmas

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A Sacramento husband saved his wife and then went back inside to save his dog from a fire at their home on the morning of Christmas Eve, though firefighters cautioned others not to go back inside a house full of flames. 

The fire was reported at around 3:45 a.m. Sunday at a house on Rotherton Way, which Sacramento firefighters said started in a bedroom.

The husband carried his 30-something wife out of the house to safety. 

Desiree Fountain lives next door and told KCRA3 in Sacramento that she saw everything unfold. 

"He was literally pulling his wife out of the front door, pulling her from the front door, and he was able to get her outside," Fountain told KCRA3. 

She said she grabbed a blanket for the woman and called 911.

Fountain told KCRA 3 that the couple have young children, but they were not home at the time of the fire.

"I’m just glad they were not there, that was my thing, that they were not here when it happened, because who knows if he would have been able to get all of them out," Fountain said.

Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson Justin Sylvia said the wife has critical injuries because of the burns to her body. 

Sylvia added that the husband went back into the home to save the family dog. He came back out through the garage, and neither he nor the dog were hurt.

Still, Sylvia warned against doing something like that. 

"We never recommend going back into a fire. Let us get on scene. Let us do our job. We will search for an animal," Slyvia said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.