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MUNISING -- On Tuesday morning, a fire destroyed a house in Munising on Sand Point Road. No one was injured, and a dog was saved by a quick-thinking firefighter.

The home's owner, Camie Nebel Conklin, recalled looking at her dog after he was pulled from the smoke-filled house.

"River was lifeless, and I thought he was gone, and so I lost it, thinking he had died," said Conklin.

Conklin and her 16-month-old daughter escaped safely from their burning home. The thought of losing a pet was too familiar to Conklin. She lost two dogs in a fire back in first grade.

"I just didn't want that to happen again," she said.

River, an 11-year-old lab mix, was pulled out of the flames and smoke by Ryan Anderson, a Munising volunteer firefighter.

"(He) couldn't see a thing, there was so much black smoke coming in, and he just saw the end of River's tail, and he drug River out with his tail, and he was lifeless and he just said, 'What the heck, I'm gonna try it.' He performed mouth-to-mouth and River reacted," Conklin explained.

Five minutes of heroism, unlike anything Munising Fire Chief Dan Malone has seen in 42 years of service.

"It's hard to describe, but to be able to do something like that is quite unique, and, of course, it really makes a difference to the family," said Malone.

"I can't even think of the right words to use; I'd never be able to find the right words," Conklin said.

The local community is making it a little easier for the family to start over. People have donated several items to the family, especially clothing and toys for 16-month-old Emma. They have dropped them off at Hiawatha Telephone Company, where Conklin works, and Emma's daycare.

"It's overwhelming, truly overwhelming...thank you," Conklin said.