A man who spent more than three weeks stranded in Alaskas freezing wilderness has revealed how he managed to make it out of the ordeal alive.

Tyson Steele, 30, spent 22 days exposed to the elements after his cabin located about 20 miles from the isolated village of Skwentna burned down. The blaze also killed his beloved dog and left him with no means of communication.

On Thursday, an Alaska State Patrol helicopter located Steele, who was waving his arms near a makeshift shelter and an SOS signal stamped in the snow. The first responders were checking the area after Steeles family requested a welfare check request, police said in a Facebook post.

Steele had been stranded since either Dec. 17 or Dec. 18, when his homestead burned down after a burning ember from his wood stove went up the chimney and landed on the roof, state police said.

Its 1 or 2 in the morning and Id been awakened to a cold cabin, right? So, it takes me a while to go back to sleep. And, drip, drip, drip theres fiery drips of plastic coming through the roof above me. So, I go outside to pick up some snow and I just see that the whole roofs on fire, Steele told Ken Marsh, a spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers.

Steele said the most difficult aspect of the entire ordeal was losing his 6-year-old chocolate lab, Phil, in the fire.

And the worst part of all of this I can survive 23 days again but my dog was in there, asleep by my side, Steele said.

As he fled the cabin, Steele said he grabbed coats, sleeping bags and a rifle. Once the fire died out, he salvaged what canned food he could find, even though much of it was burnt or partially melted. He then created rations, allowing himself just two cans a day for 30 days.

Last nights meal was probably one of the worst. I was leaving the burned-off stuff for the last. And last nights dinner was a can of plastic-smoked refried beans, he told police on the day of his rescue while eating a McDonalds combo meal.