Barking Dogs Help 2 Escape Burning SC Home

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) _ Two barking pit bulls are credited for helping two people, including a woman in a wheelchair, escape a burning house in Rock Hill before it exploded. The Herald of Rock Hill reports, 49-year-old James Jennings said the dogs awakened him just after 2:30 a.m. Monday. Jennings is disabled with a back injury, but he helped 52-year-old fiancée Rita Melton into a kitchen chair with curved skids and pulled her out of the home and into the yard. Melton recently underwent surgery for a broken leg after a hip replacement. After they reached the yard, Jennings said he heard an explosion. The American Red Cross has put the couple up at a motel, but Jennings said all of Melton’s medications, their clothes and other items were damaged beyond use. ___