house fire Archives - i Still Love Dogs

Cookie-Seeking Dog Sets Kitchen on Fire

A 3-year-old silver Lab named Twitch who lives in Frisco, Texas, is a very bad dog—and very lucky to be alive.

While his owner, Megan Black, was away on Christmas Day, Twitch wandered into the kitchen, seeking some yummy cookies that were sitting on a shelf.

To reach those coveted cookies, Twitch had to jump up in front of the stove. In doing so, he accidentally turned on a burner, which in turn started a kitchen fire.

Fortunately, Black received a cell phone alert that her home’s smoke detectors were activated. Black called her neighbor, Cissy Blaisure, who ran to the house. Through thick smoke, Blaisure removed Twitch and another dog, a 10-year-old Boxer named Asher. She was then able to put out the flames using a bowl of water before firefighters arrived.

The entire incident took less than seven minutes and was caught on a Ring video.

“I’m sitting there watching her in action on my camera,” Black told FOX 4. “I can’t do anything. I am just watching her save my house.”

Although the house has major smoke damage, the good news is that no one was injured, thanks to Blaisure’s speedy efforts. “Maybe it was female mom instinct. I don’t know. I was just trying,” she told FOX 4.

Dogs Causing House Fires More Common Than You Might Think

Twitch isn’t the only dog who’s started a house fire. Just six months earlier, a dog in Missouri managed to turn on a stove burner, causing a grease fire that destroyed most of the house. Fortunately, like Twitch, that dog also lived to bark about it.

“New appliances are being seen with touch controls that activate by the simple touch of a finger. An animal’s paw can also activate these types of controls,” Southern Platte Fire Protection District Division Chief Chris Denney said in a statement at the time.

To prevent fires, Denney recommended using the built-in safety devices on these stoves when they aren’t being used and can be accessed by pets and children.

Animals including pets start about 750 house fires every year, according to the National Fire Prevention Association, which has these tips for preventing this from happening in your own home.

Photo: YouTube/FOX4 Dallas-Fort Worth

Using Ring Doorbell, Hero Jogger Rescues Dogs from House Fire

Paul Murphy happened to be in the right place at the right time as he jogged around his neighborhood in Scotts Valley, Calif., last week.

When he saw smoke pouring from the garage of a house, he immediately ran up on the porch and rang the Ring doorbell [affiliate link] to alert the residents.

The Polito family who lives there weren’t home at the time — but their pets, including two Dachshunds, a cat and a rabbit — were inside the house.

Thanks to the smart doorbell, Courtney Polito was able to give Murphy the access code so he could enter her house and save her pets.

“I saw him running back and forth so, I answered it and he said, ‘Hello, do you see there’s smoke coming out of the top of your house?'” Polito told KSBW. She could hear the smoke alarms going off inside the house.

Thanks to Murphy’s brave actions, the pets and house were spared. “The fire department said 10 more minutes and the house would have been gone,” Polito said. So would have those beloved pets.

“It takes a special kind of person to go into a burning house to save animals,” Tony Polito told KSBW.

After ensuring the pets were safe, Murphy continued on his run without telling the Politos his name.

“I want to give him a hug. I’ll bring him to lunch. I’ll bring him dinner,” Courtney Polito told KSBW. “I just want to thank him so much and let him know how thankful we are. My kids, my husband — we would be devastated if we lost our pets, let alone our home.”

A few days later, the Politos were able to successfully track down their mystery hero. In addition to the promised hug and meals, Murphy may receive a recommendation from the Scotts Valley Fire Department.

Photo: KSBW Action News 8/YouTube

Firefighter Pays It Forward 21 Years Later by Saving Dog’s Life

When Rob Lee was 6 years old, a fire broke out in his family’s Fresno, Calif., house on the day before the Fourth of July. All of his family members were able to get out safely, including Lee’s dog, Mackie, who was carried out by a firefighter before the house collapsed in flames.

Inspired by that hero who saved Mackie’s life, Lee became a firefighter. He worked with several other fire departments before getting his dream job with the Fresno Fire Department.

Fast-forward to exactly 21 years after that house fire. On July 3, Lee was one of the firefighters who responded to a Fresno house fire that was probably ignited by fireworks that had set a nearby tree ablaze. Inside the house was a 10-year-old English Bulldog named Samson.

“There was a firefighter already inside tending to a dog and they were trying to get the dog out,” Lee told KFSN. “The dog had already bit that firefighter, so they were trying to get the dog out of the structure safely.”

With his helmet cam recording the rescue on video, Lee entered the burning house and saved Samson’s life.

“Houses can be rebuilt but dogs can’t be replaced,” Lee told KFSN.

Samson was treated for smoke inhalation, according to his owner, James Verdugo, who’s a veteran and suffers from PTSD. “He’s all I cared about,” Verdugo told KMPH. He wasn’t home at the time of the fire, but his roommates were, and were able to escape to safety.

After Verdugo got a call that his house was on fire and was driving home, he got another call that Samson had been rescued. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more overjoyed in the middle of so much tragedy,” he told KMPH. “It’s like everything was okay, even though my house was gone.”

Working with the Fresno Fire Department is “an absolute honor,” Lee told KFSN. “I can’t believe that I get to do this job.”

An online fundraiser to cover the cost of Samson’s $6,000 veterinarian bill has already raised over $5,000. You can make a contribution here.

Updated July 9, 2020

Photo: @VanessaABC30/Twitter

Best Neighbor Ever: Hero Risks Life to Save Dog from House Fire

Everybody needs a neighbor like Chase Thomas. When a fire suddenly started Thursday night in a house on his street in Charlotte, N.C., three family members made it safely outside, but their dog was trapped inside.

Thomas, 20, was driving by the house when he saw the flames. Using his cellphone as a flashlight, he accompanied the homeowner into the smoky, burning house. They both called the dog’s name, but got no response. “I checked one room and I checked another, covering my mouth, searching the room, and I heard some scratching,” Thomas told FOX 46. “I brushed around and I felt for fur, and I got the dog.”

Moments after they emerged from the house, the roof collapsed and the fire spread, Thomas told WCNC.

The homeowner was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation. The house is a total loss, but its occupants are grateful to be alive — and to have Thomas living nearby.

Like most heroes, Thomas insists he’s not one. “I was just doing anything that anyone else would try to do,” he told FOX 46. “I had a dog at one point and that’s a family member to me, so going back in was doing what I could to help.”

Photo via @Fox46News/Twitter

Young Hero Pit Bull Saves Baby from House Fire

On June 3, one of the rare nights that Nana Chaichanhda let Sasha, her 8-month-old Pit Bull, sleep outside their Stockton, Calif., home, she was awakened by Sasha frantically scratching at the back door to get inside.

“I heard a loud bang and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I heard Sasha crying, and she kept jumping at the door,” Chaichanhda told KCRA. “As soon as I got to the door, she runs in and starts barking.”

As Chaichanhda looked outside to see what could be spooking Sasha, she saw that her neighbor’s house was on fire — and the flames were spreading to her own house in the fourplex where she lives. Chaichanhda’s 7-month-old daughter, Masailah, was taking a nap in a back bedroom at the time.

Sasha ran straight to Masailah’s room, with Chaichanhda right behind her.

“She had already had my baby by the diaper and was dragging her off the bed,” Chaichanhda told FOX40. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what are you doing?'”

Chaichanhda, Masailah and Sasha all made it safely out of the house, thanks to the hero Pit Bull.

“I owe her everything,” Chaichanhda told FOX40. “If it wasn’t for her, I would have still been in bed and things could have taken a worse turn.”

The family is temporarily staying with a family member. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help them recover.

Chaichanhda said she hopes Sasha’s heroic actions will help change some people’s negative views of Pit Bulls. Many thanks to KCRA, FOX40 and other news outlets for sharing this Pit Bull positive story!

Photo via gofundme.com