DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia family credits their bunny, Coco, for alerting them to a house fire.
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Homeowner Erlene Rivera told our news partners at WSB-TV that she woke up to Coco thumping out a warning as her smoke detectors sounded off.
“He knew something was happening, and he started jumping and jumping,” Rivera said.
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Rivera said that the fire tore through the back of her home, entering her kitchen, as she rushed to get everyone out.
“He was the first one that I pulled, his cage out with him inside,” added Rivera.
Rivera and her sister, alongside her 92-year-old mother, made it out safely.
DeKalb Fire personnel said they believe the fire started on the family’s back porch, the same spot where they had gathered just one day earlier for Thanksgiving.
Firefighters said the back of the home had significant damage on one side, and the kitchen had moderate fire damage.
“It appears they had a warming fire in the evening and had thought they had fully extinguished it on a wooden deck in a metal barrel,” Cavanaugh said.
Rivera says when they first purchased the home, they were renovating and discovered a baby rabbit underneath. That rabbit would eventually become the family pet, Coco, who now is also their little guardian angel.
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