Dog rescued from collapsed house 6 days after landslide

SEATTLE (AP) — A dog that was trapped for six days inside a house that collapsed last week in a landslide has been rescued, officials said.

“My baby. My baby,” homeowner Didi Fritts said when a person emerged from the house Thursday carrying her alert black Labrador named Sammy, KING-TV reported.

The Seattle Fire Department said on Twitter Thursday that firefighters had responded to reports of a dog possibly trapped inside the wreckage of the house.

2400 block of Perkins Ln W: pic.twitter.com/HO9Ko0WqZp

— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) January 13, 2022

Veterinarians at the scene examined the dog, who seemed alert and wagged her tail after seeing Fritts, video from the TV station showed. The fire department described Sammy’s condition as stable.

The landslide on Jan. 7 caused the house to slide off its foundation, leaving James Fritts trapped inside, while his wife Didi crawled to safety.

Their other dog Lilly died in the collapse, The Seattle Times reported. Family members said they had returned daily to thier house, hoping to hear the missing dog.

Rescue workers heard the dog when they arrived, David Cuerpo, a spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department, told the newspaper.

They used chainsaws to cut through the home’s walls and flooring to get to the dog, working cautiously amid worries that the unstable home could suffer another collapse.

Rescue workers proceeded cautiously on Thursday, worried the house might suffer another collapse.