When a neighboring building filled with dogs caught fire, these coworkers sprang into action to rescue them

There aren’t many people aside from firefighters who would run toward a fire. But when a Seattle business went up in flames last month, a group of coworkers sprang into action to save their neighbors – who happened to be dogs. 

As Smoke rose from The Dog Resort, a doggy daycare in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood, employees from PSR Mechanical raced to across the road. 

Greg Hagen was one of the employees from the HVAC company who ran to the Dog Resort. 

“You could see the smoke pouring out of the building and the noise from the dogs, from the emergency responders, the firefighters, police everybody that was responding,” Hagen told CBS News. “So, it was a lot of noise, it was chaos. And it was one of those situations where we didn’t know exactly what to do, but we knew he had to help.” 

Hagen said he and his coworkers joined forces with other members of the community, including employees from a nearby Mexican restaurant, to help save about 60 dogs.

“So there was about nine of us and we all took different roles. There were some of us that raced over there and grabbed dogs, there were some of us that helped secure the yard so that…small dogs couldn’t get back out into the street. There were employees taking care of the dogs, playing with the dogs,” he said. 

The PSR employees corralled the dogs into their yard as firefighters battled the flames. “At the point, it was great to see, because a lot of dogs had settled in,” Hagen said. “It was like they had been given a new play park. So, they were starting to have fun and run around throughout our yard and that was very cool to see.”

Not only did they calm scared pups, but anxious parents who came to pick them up. “They had taken their dog there that morning and had seen it on the news and were absolutely frantic,” Hagen said, adding that his team helped reunite pet owners with their beloved dogs. “To see their faces once they saw their dogs, it was very emotional. There were a couple of us that were pretty close to breaking down in tears as well. When you see people show up and see their dog playing in the yard and it’s safe.”

None of the dogs were harmed in the fire, and their neighbors at PSR have been hailed as heroes. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell visited both PSR and Aceitunos Mexican Foods to thank the employees who helped rescue the dogs. He also presented them with a letter of recognition. 

“Yeah, it was a chaotic moment, and I wouldn’t want to go through that again, but we’re just glad we could help,” Hagen said.