In August 2016, Erika Poremski was taking care of her eight-month-old daughter Viviana and her dog Polo at their house in Baltimore when a violent storm knocked out the power. In the darkness, Erika lit some candles and then attempted to make a phone call, but the battery in her phone had died. She hurried outside to plug her phone into the car’s charging port.
It took only a few short minutes for the dread to come true. When Erika finally turned around in the automobile and glanced back at her house, she saw that it was on fire with Viviana and Polo still inside. This was a horrifying scene for Erika to behold.
Erika was unable to proceed past the stairway leading downstairs because the smoke was so thick. As she gripped the railing, the skin on her hand began to melt away, but she was so focused on rescuing Viviana that she didn’t even notice that she was hurting herself. At this moment, her neighbors had also gathered around to offer assistance; however, no one was able to up the stairs to get to the child who was trapped there.
When firefighters got to the site, they immediately entered the residence. In a state of shock and despair, Erika stepped outside, believing that it was already too late and that Viviana would not make it. After what seemed like an eternity, the fire department emerged from the blaze carrying the infant, who was only eight months old at the time. Viviana’s survival was a complete and utter miracle.
Then, however, the firefighters told Erika what her cherished dog Polo had done while the flames overtook her house…