He knew going into a burning house was dangerous. But 3 dogs were trapped inside.

Kevin Baum was driving home from work Monday evening when he spied a cloud of smoke rising above a Fort Mill neighborhood.

Instead of continuing on his way, Baum decided to investigate. There were no sirens or firetrucks speeding by, so he suspected he might encounter a small fire that recently ignited. Instead, he found a home with its front porch engulfed in flames. A few people stood outside watching the fire spread slowly throughout the front of the house.

Then someone announced: there were dogs inside – a boxer, a pit bull and a white mixed-breed.

“We could see them running from window to window,” Baum, 48, said.

Baum, a Navy veteran who also had firefighting experience, decided to save the animals. He ran to the back of the house and used a shovel a neighbor handed him to smash through a window and climb inside.

He could see the boxer running around the living room. Covering his mouth with his shirt to prevent smoke inhalation, Baum grabbed that dog and took him out the backdoor. He saw the pit bull cowering from the flames in a corner, and cradled the dog by its belly to carry him outside.

The mixed-breed, petrified, wasn’t moving. He snatched that dog too, and made it safely out of the house as it continued to fill with smoke. Firefighters soon arrived.

Baum, who works for a handyman/remodeling company, says he knew that going into a burning home was dangerous. But he felt the fire was moving slow enough for him to rescue the animals.

“If there was going to be an opportunity (to save them), it was the time,” he said. “That was the big driver. There’s three living animals in there that can make it if we act right now.”

Officials would later say the fire started when a cigarette wasn’t properly extinguished on the porch of the home, according to The Rock Hill Herald.

But there was more news to follow. Baum soon discovered the home belonged to Jeff Sochko, an award-winning photographer who toured with artists including Prince, Whitney Houston and Stevie Nicks, the Herald also reported.

Sochko, who worked on lighting for Prince’s “Purple Rain” tour, lost valuables that day, including photos from documenting musicians for decades, the Herald reported. Despite the disappointment, he said he was was grateful for the help of quick-thinking people like Baum.

“Certain things can’t be replaced, memorabilia can’t be replaced,” Baum said. “But the lives of those dogs meant more to them than any memorabilia.”

LaVendrick Smith; 704-358-5101; @LaVendrickS

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 10:12 PM with the headline "He knew going into a burning house was dangerous. But 3 dogs were trapped inside.."