Dog Wakes Up Couple Before All 3 Escape Apartment Fire by Rappelling Down a Rope

A barking dog is being credited with saving lives during a devastating fire.

Izabeau Pearston and her boyfriend Elijah Jackson are thanking their dog Willow for alerting them — while they were sleeping — to a fire at their apartment complex in Kennewick, Wash., on Thursday, June 12.

The couple and their dog escaped through a window due to flames blocking an exit route, Pearston told the Tri-City Herald.

“My boyfriend told me to get the rope. Then he tied off the rope on the bed and rappelled down,” the 26-year-old told the outlet.

By the time her boyfriend, 32, looked back their home was engulfed in black smoke. Pearston said although the Kennewick Fire Department put out the fire quickly, they still lost everything in the blaze.

“We have clothes to put on, but that was all after the fact,” she said. “We didn’t have anything but pajamas and a dog on a carabiner and a rope.”

“We’re trying to figure out what steps to take next,” she continued, adding she was thankful for Willow, who will now be “spoiled for the rest of her days.”

PEOPLE reached out to the Kennewick Police Department for additional comment on Saturday, June 14, but did not immediately hear back.

All of the residents in the apartment complex escaped, with some jumping from their second-story windows.

“Upon arrival, both second story occupants had to exit through their windows. All occupants of the building were evacuated in time. Minor injuries were reported and all occupants were evaluated by KFD,” the Kennewick Police Department said in a statement on Facebook.

Ben Shearer, the public information officer for Benton County Fire District 4, told the Tri-City Herald that the temperatures in the past few days were 10 to 20 degrees higher than normal temperatures. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“It’s a little early, but not unexpected,” he told the outlet. “We had all that rain this spring, now it’s been hot and dry. All it takes is a spark. …. All of the fuels are mid-summer season dry.”