Jack Weaver, left, and his brother in law, Patrick Widen, pose with 9-year-old Izzy. Photo / AP
Jack Weaver, left, and his brother in law, Patrick Widen, pose with 9-year-old Izzy. Photo / AP
Two men who hiked for miles through Northern California wildfire territory expecting a grim discovery were met with a joyful one instead.
Jack Weaver and his brother-in-law Patrick Widen walked around police barricades, through a creek and up treacherous hilly roads to spare Weaver's mother from the grim task ofrecovering the body of the family's beloved dog Izzy.
Katherine Weaver was convinced Izzy died in a ferocious wildfire that destroyed their Northern California neighbourhood and sent them fleeing for safety.
When the men reached the end of the narrow road, Weaver swore as he saw that the house was completely gone. But then Izzy came bounding from the rubble for a joyous reunion.
Weaver, who was filming the scene for his parents, captured the reunion on his phone in a video that's gone viral on Facebook, providing a rare bit of good news amid endless scenes of severe destruction.
"She was very happy to see us," Weaver said of Izzy, a nine-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog.
"She's such a brave dog. She was panting a lot and clearly stressed, but she was not frantic or anything."
In the frantic race to escape in the middle of the night, the Weavers and many others were forced to leave behind their pets because they couldn't be found or there was simply no time to get them.
Izzy, a 9-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog. Photo / AP
Thousands of people remained evacuated and 38 people have died as fires continue to rage in California's wine country.
Mobile phone service was sketchy, but Weaver was eventually able to reach his mother, who was staying with relatives.
"She just lost it," Weaver said.
"She went from being devastated about losing her home to the being the happiest person I've ever seen. I couldn't get home fast enough. She was really, really happy ... She's still shaken up by the whole thing, but she's in much better spirits now that Izzy is at our house."
