This retired German Shepherd dog helped to save two children trapped in a Florida house fire.

A family of four is still alive thanks to the bravery of persistent neighbors and a trained German Shepherd dog named Maxx.

There's nothing worse than imagining your children perishing in a fire right before your eyes. This is any parents' worst nightmare.

Such an incident almost happened to a military veteran, Brent Feaser, and his wife, Investigator Margo Feaser, from Longwood, Florida.

One Hell of a Night

One clear night, Brent's neighbors, Chip Dover, his son Andrew, and friend Joe Jordan, were outside their house a few minutes after 11 pm, enjoying the beautiful sky.

But as they were planning to go back into the house, they heard an explosion from their neighbor's home.

The next thing they saw was one section of Brent's home turning into flames.
Chip Dover told a news outlet:

"We were outside with my telescope, looking at Jupiter with my next-door neighbor."

"We were getting ready to come in when we heard a big explosion, and the house just blew up. And we ran over there immediately, and it was burning like crazy, and then we realized the family was still inside."

After the explosion, the fire quickly engulfed the building. Dover rushed to break the front window, using furniture on Feaser's porch. He pulled Brent out to safety.

The scene was a real-life nightmare for Brent, who realized that his wife, Margo, together with their two kids, aged two and four, were still trapped inside the house.

One neighbor spotted Margo through a window. They smashed it to pull her to safety. But after being rescued, her first concern was her two little kids, who were still trapped inside the burning house.

Seminole Chief Deputy, Dennis Lemma, said:

"She came out, and her No.1 concern was to get back in there and save those kids. She's a hero and acted as such."

Before firefighters arrived, she had even tried to crawl back into the building through the window. But her neighbors held her back.

Maxx the 'Hero' Dog

When firefighters finally arrived, the rescue process was still a tough challenge since the house was filled with heavy smoke.

Luckily, the family German Shepherd dog led the firefighters through the smoke to where the children were.

The kids were carried outside and rushed to the hospital. According to doctors' reports, the family members suffered smoke inhalation and burns.

The 'hero' dog also sustained slight injuries and was treated by a local vet.

Brent's wife, Margo Feaser, is also a military veteran, same as her husband. She served the U.S Army during Operation Enduring Freedom.

After the tragic incident, Sheriff Don Eslinger said in a press release:

"We are grateful to the neighbors who jumped into action, and we especially thank the firefighters who selflessly entered the burning structure and risked their lives for the Feaser family."

"There is a long road of recovery and rebuilding ahead, but our Sheriff's Office family will be with Margo and her family every step of the way."

"We know our community is behind them too, and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support the family has received."