A man from Southern California is lucky to be alive after running back into his burning home to save the life of his beloved dog.

It all started last Sunday, when Jose Guzman was attending a barbecue at his parents’ house with his wife and three young daughters and they were alerted to a fire in their neighborhood.

“I didn’t think it was mine because we had just left the house about an hour ago, but I decided to get in my truck and drive over there,” Jose said.

When he arrived at his home in Pala, he learned that though the fire had started at his neighbor’s house, his own had since become engulfed in flames. Jose also noticed that the fire was so bad that firefighters had run out of water, and they were waiting for assistance to arrive from other fire departments.

Though Jose was grateful that his family was safe, he knew his dog Gabanna was trapped inside the house.

“I wasn’t gonna let her die like that,” he said.

Without hesitating, Jose ran past the firefighters and into the burning home. He quickly found Gabanna curled up in the bathroom, the only room that was not on fire.

“I ran through the curtain of fire and made my way through the smoke to the back of the house, where I had her chained up,” he said. “It was hard for me to get her leash unhooked, but I managed to get her loose and we both ran out towards the driveway.”

The entire rescue was captured on video that also shows the moment Jose and Gabanna come running out of the house. Jose was left with various injuries, including second-degree burns to his face, right side, arm, and left ear, but he says he has no regrets.

“I knew something could’ve happened to me or both of us, but it didn’t go through my mind at the time,” Jose said. “That dog is part of my family. She’s been with us through downs and ups and I couldn’t leave her there. I would do it again if I had to; I would do it for anybody in my family.”