Zachariah Tobin hailed a hero after saving woman and her dog from burning home at Kurri Kurri

As the son of two rural firefighters, a Kurri Kurri man has sprung into action, running into a burning home facing a wall of flames to save a woman’s dog in the Hunter Valley.

A man has been hailed a hero after running into a burning home in the Hunter Valley not once, but twice, to save a woman’s dog who was trapped inside.

Zachariah Tobin, 28, said his adrenaline was pumping when he raced inside the house at Kurri Kurri which was engulfed in flames on Tuesday afternoon.

The Kurri project engineer was cycling around the area on his work break when he heard a smoke alarm in the distance.

He rushed to the house on Alexandra St at around 1.20pm, and banged on the door but no one was answering, as nearby council workers called triple-0.

“I heard music and went around the back, prepared to kick door down, but luckily a woman was out the back, but trying to get the dog out of the house,” he told The Newcastle News.

“She was really disorientated so we (and a council worker) had to help her off the property and asked if anyone else was in the house and she just said the dog.”

The smoke surrounding the home. Supplied.

As the son of two local rural firefighters, he ran inside, risking his life.

“I was in the house about two to three metres and the dog ran into the lounge room where the fire was,” Mr Tobin said.

“The fire was coming from one of two gas bottles which was pouring out flames. The whole room was engulfed in flames.”

He quickly grabbed ‘Subwoofer’ – a small white fluffy dog – and raced back out the front to where the woman was, who was contemplating going back inside her home to get her handbag.

As Mr Tobin and the council worker talked her out of it, the dog got loose and ran back under the house before darting back inside.

Again, he bravely went back in, putting a shirt over his face-to-face a wall of flames.

Emergency services at the scene. Supplied.

“I threw my shirt over my face and went back in to get the dog in the bathroom, fully aware the gas bottle could have exploded,” he said.

“I wrapped the dog in my shirt, it was very distressed.”

Outside he held the woman’s hand to comfort her and gave both her and the dog water before emergency services arrived to extinguish the blaze.

Fortunate for all, including the dog, there were no injuries.

Hunter Valley Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire, but were thankful it didn’t end in tragedy.

“It’s the heroic actions of these two men which saved this woman and her dog’s life, and on behalf of all the emergency services involved, we would like to thank this pair,” Hunter Valley Police District Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Matt Zimmer said.

“Both of these men will be considered for bravery recognition for their actions.”