A Fairfield couple is giving thanks to a group of first responders who saved many of their pets from a house fire last week.

The fire destroyed Angela Anveski and Vladimir Corbeski’s Fairfield home.

As volunteer firefighters tackled the intense flames on the backside of the home, another group ran into the front of the home after hearing the six pets inside. The pets included three dogs and three cats.

“I looked under the bed, pulled out a cat and handed it off to an officer,” says firefighter Andrew Pravata. “And when we went back in to search again, saw a dog under the bed.”

That dog’s name is Precious – a sweet, but not a small pit bull. They were finally able to grab her after moving the bed. She was then handed off through a window to safety.

“It was instinct too. Just to, you know, grab the animal and take him out of that dangerous situation,” Pravata says.

Corbeski was also able to save one of the pets and burned himself in the process. He was not seriously injured.

“I tried to rescue my kids – my kids, my dogs,” Corbeski says.

The group was reunited on Monday so that the family could thank them. The couple’s children are grown and out of the home, so the pets are their “babies.”

“Without them, we’d be more than devastated,” Anveski says. “The house is one thing. It can be repaired. But you can’t replace a life – either human or animal.”

Unfortunately, one of the cats – Gracie – did not make it out. The rest, as well as the couple, are now staying at a nearby pet-friendly hotel.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.