CBS News Team Breaks Into a Burning House to Save 3 Dogs from LA Wildfires

When a couple left their Los Angeles home for separate trips out of state, they had no idea that wildfires would break out in their neighborhood, putting their dogs in danger. Fortunately, two CBS employees were on hand to save the day.

When the Palisades fires in Los Angeles began on January 7, 2025, a local family was away from home. They had left behind their three dogs with a dogsitter who became stuck on the roads leading to their house.

According to reports, Andrea Pasinetti was in San Francisco for work while his wife, Sixuan, was overseas when the fires broke out. The three dogs were left to fend for themselves as the fires destroyed neighboring homes on Lachman Lane.

Worried about their pets — Alma, Archie, and Hugo — Andrea quickly booked a flight back to Los Angeles in hopes of rescuing them. Speaking to CBS News from a hotel room, he said, "The flight into [Los Angeles] was definitely very, very hard because we just didn't have any information."

A friend picked him up at the airport with supplies such as blankets and fire-retardant materials, preparing for the rescue. They rushed to the Palisades, but when they were eight minutes away, they struggled to gain entry due to "cops at most intersections."

Andrea described his feelings during this time: "It's this feeling of helplessness and devastation and also just the unknown. Wanting to maintain hope, but also kind of bracing for the worst."

While speaking with his wife on the phone, they realized they had two options: Andrea would find a way to the house by car, or someone else needed to gain access. Meanwhile, Sixuan was watching the news when she noticed CBS News reporter Jonathan Vigliotti reporting from Palisades Charter High School.

The school was located near their home, so they began trying to contact the reporter, initially sending him tweets before eventually reaching out to his colleague and his pal.

That friend, CBS News producer Christian Duran, successfully passed the message to Jonathan. The pair then decided to work together to help save the Pasinetti dogs. They bravely headed to the family's house, which Andrea later described as "on its last legs."

The dog owner admitted, "We knew it was a tall order to extract all three dogs from the house." Another challenge was that the two men didn't have a key, but Andrea permitted them to break any windows to enter the home if necessary.

The three dogs were rescue animals and, according to Andrea, "pre-wired with a lot of anxiety." Rescuing them was difficult, as Alma was near the entrance while Hugo hid under a bed.

The CBS News team managed to secure Alma — Andrea believed they threw a blanket over her to calm and carry her — before turning their attention to Archie. The Palisades resident added, "I imagine they had to lift the bed in the primary bedroom and extract Hugo."

Despite the flames surrounding the house, Jonathan and Christian risked their safety to save the dogs. Andrea later learned that the house burned down just a few hours after the dogs were rescued. He was overwhelmed when he heard all three dogs were safe.

Andrea reflected, "I have never felt that mixture of joy and relief and exhaustion and despair and gratitude towards someone." He continued, "The generosity and kindness and risk that they put themselves through to get the dogs was really — I think it's the best that humanity has to offer."

The incident made him reflect on life's priorities. He said, "I think we go through life accruing so much stuff and curating our belongings, but at the end of the day, it's all stuff — and while it's sad to lose, I think the possibility and prospect of losing something much more important just put it into perspective."

The Palisades resident was also grateful to the firefighters and first responders for their heroic efforts in saving homes. Despite the ongoing chaos, one firefighter even offered to take him to his house that night.

He felt these heroes deserved every bit of praise for risking their lives. CBS News later posted a video of Andrea's story, showing the dogs Jonathan and Christian had rescued.

Andrea later shared a photo of himself with his dogs and thanked the two CBS employees for moving mountains to "keep our family whole."

Jonathan also posted a video of Andrea recounting his experience, saying, "My producer and I almost didn't go. We wrongly thought the home and the dogs would be fine."

According to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website, there have been 177 wildfires, 40,696 acres burned, over 12,300 structures destroyed, 27,799 emergency responses, and 24 fatalities from the Palisades wildfires.