PHILADELPHIA --

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Slideshow: Dog Rescues Family From Fire | Video: Buster Saves The Day

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Buster the dog was rescued from the mean streets of Philadelphia and now he has saved the lives of the family who saved him.

The fire that broke out in a home in the Kensington area of Philadelphia early Tuesday morning could have been deadly. The windows were blown out and the entire building was gutted from the heat and flames of the blaze.

But the Hernane family was alerted to the fire by their determined pet.

Two years ago, Jennifer Hernane's family took in Buster, a boxer and pit-bull mix who was a stray living on the streets. Hernane admitted she wasn't particularly fond of the dog because of his menacing looks.

"When he came home I was scared of him," Hernane said.

However, that fear quickly turned into affection once she saw how loving Buster could be.

Just after 5 a.m. Tuesday, a fire ripped through the Martha Street home where Hernane's parents, Anthony and Donna Hernane, lived alone. They were both asleep.

"He was at the first window, the blaze was coming out really bad," a neighbor said.

Fire officials said there were no working smoke detectors in the house, so Buster sounded the alarm the only way he knew how -- he barked.

"He was barking and screaming. My dad got up and opened the door of his room and the flames came bursting in, so he shut the door. Then that's when they jumped out the window, my mom and my dad," Hernane said.

"All the way to the hospital I was sitting there shaking," said Anthony Hernane Jr., the couple's son.

Jennifer Hernane and her brother spent most of Tuesday trying to salvage some belongings. Anthony Hernane Jr. went to see his parents in the hospital. He said his dad did have some injuries, but was mostly overwhelmed by what his pet did.

"He said, 'If it wasn't for Buster, he wouldn't be alive,'" said Anthony Hernane Jr.

Smoke inhalation made it difficult for Buster to breathe, but Jennifer and Anthony said they would care for him after he did so much to save their parents.

"He's my mom and dad's guardian angel," Anthony Hernane Jr. said.

Firefighters ended up rescuing Buster. They said that he is going to be OK.

The Hernanes were in critical but stable condition Tuesday night with some broken bones, but they were both expected to make a full recovery.

Fire officials said the cause of the blaze was careless smoking.