7-month-old baby was trapped in a burning Stockton, California apartment in 2018, then 8-month-old pit bull Sasha alerted her mother and dragged her to safety

A fire was spreading through a Stockton, California, apartment building when Sasha, an 8-month-old pit bull, realized something was wrong. Her owner, Nana Chaichanhda, was inside with her 7-month-old baby and had not yet realized that flames were reaching their home. Sasha first alerted her owner and then ran into the bedroom, where she dragged the baby from the bed by her diaper. Her actions helped Chaichanhda and her baby escape before the fire caused more destruction, as per a report by CBS News and People.

How did Sasha discover the fire?

On June 3, 2018, Nana Chaichanhda was inside her Stockton, California, home with her baby when a fire began spreading through the apartment building. Sasha was outside at the time, and her behavior quickly caught her owner's attention.


The dog began banging and crying at the backyard door. Chaichanhda did not initially understand why Sasha was behaving that way, but she got out of bed to investigate.

In a GoFundMe post written after the fire, Chaichanhda recalled what happened.

"June 3, 2018, I was awaken by my pit bull pup Sasha banging and crying at my backyard door. Little did I know, Sasha would become my hero," Chaichanhda wrote.

She opened the back door, and Sasha immediately ran inside.

"I open [the backdoor the dog was banging on] and she runs in and starts barking at me like crazy and I was like, ‘OK, this is weird. This is not like her,’ " Chaichanhda later told local news outlets. The strange behaviour made her realise that something was wrong.

How did Sasha get the baby out?

Chaichanhda soon discovered that the apartment next door, belonging to her cousin, was on fire. The flames were spreading toward her own unit. In her account, she said Sasha ran straight into the bedroom.

"My neighbors home was totally destroyed, and the fire was quickly spreading to my unit," Chaichanhda wrote. "[Sasha] was trying to warn us of the fire. I got out of bed to see what was going on. At that moment I opened the back door and Sasha ran into our home, straight into our bedroom."

By the time Chaichanhda went to get her daughter, Sasha was already acting.

"I ran into the bedroom, where Sasha was already dragging my 7-month-old baby off the bed by her diaper," she wrote.

Chaichanhda was shocked by what she saw.

“She had already had my baby by the diaper and was dragging her off the bed. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what are you doing?’ ” she recalled, as per a report by CBS News and People.

The family was able to get outside and call 911.

What happened to the apartment building?

Firefighters arrived and managed to save most of the building, although Chaichanhda's apartment and her cousin's apartment were destroyed.

According to CBS affiliate WTVR-TV, the family stayed with relatives who lived in one of the apartments that survived.

The fire occurred on a night when Sasha had been left outside, something Chaichanhda believed played an important role in what happened.

She said Sasha's actions were the reason she and her baby were safe.

“It meant a lot. I owe her everything. If it wasn’t for her, I would have still been in bed and things could have taken a worse turn,” the proud dog owner said.

Chaichanhda also wanted Sasha's story to challenge the negative perception surrounding pit bulls.

She later told CBS Los Angeles that she hoped her dog's courageous actions would help change how people view the breed.

"I owe her everything. If it wasn't for her, I would have still been in bed and things could have taken a worse turn," she said.

Sasha's actions turned an ordinary night into a desperate escape from a spreading apartment fire. First, she alerted Chaichanhda that something was wrong. Then she went into the bedroom and pulled the baby from the bed.

For Chaichanhda, there was no question about what Sasha had done for her family. The dog had warned her about the fire and helped get her baby to safety before the situation could take an even worse turn.

FAQs

Who is Sasha?
Sasha is the pit bull who alerted her family to the fire.

How did Sasha save the baby?
She dragged the baby from the bed by her diaper.