Man Experiencing Homelessness Climbs Into Dog Shelter on Fire to Rescue 25 Pups

Screenshots of video showing a Colombian Man climbing a dog shelter in Peru to rescue a dog from a fire

Photo: Screenshot from Twitter

A Colombian man living in Peru is being hailed as a hero for his brave actions. Sebastián Arias was walking down the street in La Victoria, Lima, Peru, when he noticed that a recycling plant was on fire. The flames had also spread to a neighboring house, which operated as a dog shelter. While some of the people there had freed some of the animals, there were still a number of them that were out of reach due to the spreading fire. Thinking of his own dog, Arias knew he had to do something to save the animals that remained trapped. Without hesitation, he climbed the façade, broke the windows, and helped rescue the remaining dogs from the fire.

Arias had previously worked at the recycling plant that caught fire. During his time there, he grew keenly aware of the dog shelter next door. Knowing how many dogs there were and where they were kept, he sprung into action to get them out. In a now-viral video captured by witnesses, Arias can be seen climbing the balconies of the house and breaking a window to reach a dog on the rooftop. As thick black smoke burns on the background, the man reaches the pup. Down below, other bystanders are waiting with a mattress to catch the canine. A crowd of onlookers can also be heard cheering. One man even says, “So crazy, he's a hero!”

The dog hero was then interviewed by Latina Noticias, and gave further explanation to his quick thinking. “I was walking down thinking about my wife and I saw the fire, I saw the dog that was up in the corner,” he recounted “I have this beautiful little animal and I would't want my dog to burn to death. Hearing their cries, hearing their moans, I would not like my dog to die like that.”

The heroic man is currently experiencing homelessness, living under a bridge in the vicinity of Gamarra, a neighborhood in Peru's capital. On top of that, he’s looking for his missing wife. Despite his own personal woes, he risked his life to save a bunch of innocent dogs. In fact, the rescue was even more perilous than it looks in the footage. “[Rescuing] the last dog was scary because the wall was about to fall down on top of me,” Arias shares. “The dog already had burns, his clothes were already burned, so what I did was aggressively grab him by the neck and then I did grab him by the snout and I released it.”

As for the dog shelter, it’s owned by a woman named Soledad Rentería, who was out shopping when the fire broke out. She had been taking in stray dogs for over 12 years, hoping to find them a home. After losing her house to the fire, she called for people to adopt one of the dogs. “I ask that all (the puppies) find a home, that they care for them as they care for their own children, that they love them, give them affection”, the woman pleaded. The only thing they can't do is talk, but they understand you, they listen to you. You have to be humanitarian.”

Now, at least one of the dogs—a pup named Lulu–has been adopted by the mayor of La Victoria himself, Rubén Cano. Hoping that the rest of the animals share a similar fate soon, they have been set up at another dog shelter where they are awaiting for a forever home. Cano said, “We are working with the Association for the Protection of Animals, precisely, to find them a home, so that they are well treated by responsible people and that they have a better life.”

A Colombian man living in Peru named Sebastián Arias is being hailed as a hero for his brave actions. He climbed a house on fire and helped rescue the shelter dogs that were trapped inside.

Photo: Screenshot from Twitter

A now-viral video captured by witnesses shows Arias climbing the balconies of the house and breaking a window to reach a dog on the rooftop.

🇵🇪🐶🙏 | ¡HÉROE! Un hombre salvó a 25 perritos de un incendio que alcanzó a un refugio de animales en Cercado de Lima, Perú. pic.twitter.com/LUaETXOcoh

— Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundial2) June 10, 2023