Ed Stroud’s forehead, his ears, his face and arms were all burned in an intense fire at his home last week.
Luckily, the burns on his hands were minor.
“With me being a guitar player I need my hands,” he said. “This is my money maker right here.”
The musician has played with artists like Outkast and T-L-C. Now he says he’s lucky to be alive.
Stroud says his pet poodle, Gracie, saved his life.
“She started licking my face and then she started barking,” he said.
Stroud says he was asleep at around 3:30 that morning when Gracie woke him up. That’s when he found his home engulfed in flames.
He and Gracie managed to escape from the home.
While Stroud was taken to the hospital, firefighters treated Gracie for smoke inhalation. She’s doing okay now.
Musicians have stopped by to check in on Stroud, and talent manager Katherine Williams is helping with a benefit concert to help Stroud get back on his feet.
Stroud says he is grateful for his friends — and for Gracie.
The poodle has gotten lots of attention after she was seen on TV.
“She’s actually a celebrity now,” Stroud says. “Everybody in town knows my dog.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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