A house fire triggered by oxygen killed a family dog, and injured two firefighters and three people inside.
Police officers Harry Cormack and Randy Mayhew arrived at the fire on Helen Street before the fire department arrived, NBC 4 reported.
When they arrived, they found a woman trapped inside the home.
"I was screaming. I was dragging my walker. I had the phone in my hand, screaming into the fire department," said Mary Armentrout, a victim.
She said the flames were shooting up the chair she had just fallen asleep in. The fire was sparked by a cigarette that slipped from her hand onto her home oxygen tank.
"It was all fire and instantly, just ... big black clouds," she said. "Two policemen was dragging my butt out the front door, and I mean dragging. I can't walk that fast, but they sure made me do it."
Armentrout's husband was able to escape on his own, but their granddaughter, Stephanie, jumped from a second-story window.
"They said to jump and it would be OK. So, I didn't really care if they catched me or not. I just jumped really fast," she said.
The family dog was unable to be saved.
Firefighters said oxygen tanks and smoking simply don't mix.
"When you bring the cigarette, the lighter or the match up close to this tube and some oxygen comes out, this tube will instantly burn," said Battalion Chief Doug Smith. "The oxygen itself is not flammable. It's not a flammable gas, but it is a powerful oxidizer."
The fire was ruled accidental.
Damages were estimated at $25,000.
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