Woman, dog rescued from balcony during early morning fire on Montgomery St.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A fire destroyed a home and business in Savannah early Monday morning on Montgomery Street.

Savannah Fire says firefighters rescued a woman and dog who were trapped on a balcony. Another person was able to escape on their own.

“There was no way to get out,” the woman said. “The whole back end was completely blocked.”

That’s the voice of the woman whose life and business centered in this house. Still covered in soot, she didn’t want to be seen on camera but wanted to tell her story.

“2 O’clock in the morning I woke up to what seemed like a smell of smoke, by the time I kind of got up and woke up my fiancé it was pouring out of the back end of our home,” she said.

Out front, stranded on the second story porch were her and her dog, who she refused to abandon, but as Savanah fire arrived there was one big problem.

“My dog is 120 pounds, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and a very, very protective breed,” she said. “Especially when there is danger, he will not allow anyone near him.”

With that in mind, she’s beyond grateful for what happened next.

“The fireman looked directly at me and assured me, and I could see the compassion in his eyes that he knew how much my dog meant to me,” she said.

They helped the woman down first, with all 120 pounds of Joey, not soon behind.

“It was amazing to watch these three firemen gracefully coach my dog and two firemen carried him down a ladder,” she said.

Her fiancé also got out safely. She says her business - which uses the first floor of the house - will be alright, too.

Both people were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Firefighters are now trying to determine the cause of the fire.

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