Pet pig helps save US Navy veteran from house fire

• A US Navy Veteran is thanking his pet pig for saving his life.
• The veteran’s garage caught fire due to a surge protector that short-circuited.
• The pig helped save his owner’s life by closing the garage door as he fled, giving him extra time to flee before his home was engulfed by flames. 

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Some heroes do not wear capes; instead, they have four hooves and a snout.

When his New Jersey home caught fire, a US Navy veteran thanked his 500-pound pet pig for saving his life.

30-year-old Gilbert Anaya from Union Township said his big porcine buddy gave him extra time to flee his home earlier this month by closing the garage door as flames raged through it on the evening of April 11.

Anaya, a combat medic who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, spoke to The Washington Post on Thursday.

“The fire department said him closing the door bought me 15 to 20 minutes. If he didn’t close the door, the fire and smoke would have spread faster,” he said.

According to Anaya, firemen who went to the scene were able to put out the fire, which was caused by a surge protector that short-circuited and set fire to Hamilton’s bedding in the garage, forcing the animal to awaken from his sleep.

Because Anaya had taught the pig to open and close doors, Hamilton shut the garage door as he fled.

Anaya claimed that the rapidly growing fire was licking the wood and support beams while he slept against the burning wall.

Anaya said he feared the worst for his pet pig when he awoke to the inferno. When he got there and kicked open the closed door, he saw the clever animal had made it safely outside and was grazing peacefully in the yard.

Anaya has been sleeping with a friend since the fire, while Hamilton has been living in a temporary tent in the yard while the owner of the property rebuilds.

Victoria, Anaya’s sister, has started an online fundraising to assist her brother with his post-fire expenses.

Source: New York Post