Nov. 30--A Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District captain saved a family's dog from a barn engulfed in flames early Thursday morning.
Firefighters were dispatched to the barn fire near a home on Roselle Avenue just south of Claribel Road about 5:15 a.m., said Battalion Chief Paul Spani.
When they arrived, the barn was consumed by flames, and residents at the adjacent home told firefighters their pet dog was chained to a boat inside the barn.
Capt. Les Porter saw the dog underneath the boat, which was on fire.
"His first priority was to rescue the dog," Spani said.
Porter instructed firefighters to shower him with water to prevent the flames above from reaching him while he freed the dog, Spani said.
It took about a minute for Spani to free the dog from the chain, but as soon as he did, it went running to its owners. The dog suffered burns on one of his paws but otherwise was all right, and Porter got out from under the boat unscathed, Spani said.
After that, it took firefighters about half an hour to fully extinguish the flames and another hour to clean up.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Spani said there was no electricity to the barn, but there were several factors that could have started the fire accidentally.
It caused about $40,000 in damage to the barn and $15,000 to its contents.
Bee staff writer Erin Tracy can be reached at [email protected] or (209)578-2366. Follow her on Twitter, @ModestoBeeCrime.
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