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WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) – “I feel like I haven’t even processed this yet. Yeah, I don’t know. I mean… it’s hard to put into words,” said Tyler Revel.
For the first time in the daylight, Revel saw his entire life in a pile of ash after a devastating fire destroyed his home Sunday night.
But in the wake of tragedy, Revel can’t help but feel thankful.
“She’s my best friend, man. She’s a good dog. She’s my hero right now. And I really, I’m really proud of her,” said Revel.
He says his 6-year-old dog Monroe is the only reason he’s alive.
“She didn’t even hesitate. She knew something was wrong and she had to get me out of there. And that’s what she did,” said Revel.
He says it all started when he decided to take a Sunday nap while watching football.
“She jumped on the bed and just instantly was like, nudging my head and whining and like, you know, like a crying kind of like a whimper,” he said.
Revel woke up to a thick cloud of black smoke that filled his entire house. Barely able to see, barely able to breathe, he grabbed Monroe, ran down the hall, and barely made it past the flames racing toward his room.
“We got out in the nick of time, man. Just really lucky. I think if she wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have made it out alive for sure,” he said.
While Revel has a long road ahead, he says he has a new perspective on what truly matters in life.
“I think we take a lot for granted, you know. All that stuff in there isn’t what matters. It can always be replaced. She can’t. I can’t. I’m just… it is a very humbling experience,” said Revel.
Revel says now, he’s just holding out hope that his cat Boo made it out alive as firefighters have not yet found him.
If you’d like to help Revel with some of the recovery expenses, his family set up a PayPal Fundraiser for him that you can find by clicking here.
