Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They are more than just the superheroes we see on TV and in the movies, they also walk among us as ordinary people.

This became apparent when a hero emerged from a most unlikely person. It was a 14-year-old boy from Phoenix, Arizona who did what is necessary to save a dog from a burning building.

Mike Assi is a student at Deer Valley Middle School and he was having an average day. He got on the bus, started off to school and then saw something alarming.

When he looked back at his home, there was smoke coming out of it and he realized it was on fire. The 14-year-old jumped out of his seat and told the bus driver to stop. He then ran back home.

Mike decided to head back to the burning building that day because of Zach, his eight-year-old pit bull mix dog. Zach was alone in the burning house because his mother and sister had already left before he went down to the bus stop.

The bus driver warned him about the potential danger to his personal safety. It didn’t stop Mike from running back to save Zach.

On the way, Mike came up with a plan that would be considered risky by many. He didn’t actually intend on entering the burning building.

He said the following to a local news station:

“The bus driver was yelling at me telling me not to go in, but I just had to open the door. I had to at least yell for my dog to see if I could give him a chance to come out.”

He didn’t want to leave Zach alone without trying to save him.

Mike realized that Zach couldn’t get through the front door so he went around back. He opened the back door with a plan in mind. He knew that he shouldn’t enter into a building that was already burning so he began calling for Zach from the outside.

We are happy to say that Zach found his way out and into his friend’s arms.

Mike was a bit dazed from the ordeal but he managed to grab the dog and take him away from the smoke-filled home. The firefighters were soon on the scene and put out the fire which did damage to the Assi home.

Aaron Ernsberger, the captain of the Phoenix fire department had the following to say about Mike’s efforts that day. He said he made a wise decision not to enter the burning building. Once you are breathing in the thick smoke, you could potentially become unconscious within a couple of breaths.

Mike realized that he needed to watch out for his own safety that day. He also realized that his beloved dog, Zach needed a hero. Fortunately, he was able to do both.