Family finds pet dog in home destroyed by California wildfire

(FOX NEWS) - Jack Weaver and his brother-in-law Patrick Widen walked around police barricades, through a creek and up treacherous hilly roads to save Weaver's mother from the grim task of recovering the body of the family's beloved dog Izzy.

Katherine Weaver was convinced Izzy died in a ferocious wildfire that destroyed their Northern California neighborhood and sent them fleeing for safety, Katherine still in her nightgown.

When the men reached the end of the narrow road on Tuesday, Jack Weaver swore as he saw that the house was completely gone. But then Izzy suddenly came bounding out for a joyous reunion.

Jack Weaver, who was filming the scene for his parents, captured the moment 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 9-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."

The Weavers, like many others, were forced to scramble in the middle of the night due to the wildfire. In the midst of the chaos, as Weaver's sister Beckyjean describes in a Facebook post, Izzy got loose. Weaver's mother couldn't chase after her without risking her own life, as Beckyjean describes.

When Weaver was able to contact his mother, who was staying with relatives in the San Francisco Bay Area, she was overjoyed.

"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."

According to the veterinarian, Izzy is okay and was likely insulated from the fire by her thick fur coat.