Nov. 09--A barking dog helped save two people in a Kutztown home early today when its barking awoke them and alerted them to a quickly-spreading fire.
Residents David Heller and Mandy Graff did suffer injuries in the fire at 140 Wentz St. but were able to escape. Both were being treated at Lehigh Valley Medical Center near Allentown. Heller suffered burns and Graff was treated for smoke inhalation, Kutztown Fire Chief Troy Arndt said.
Fire crews were called to the home just after midnight. When firefighters arrived, they found the semi-detached home ablaze, with flames consuming the rear of the home, Arndt said.
The fire went to three alarms, Arndt said, with crews battling it for up to five hours.
The house suffered major fire damage that will likely total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, Arndt said. The attached home suffered minor fire damage as well as significant smoke and water damage.
A home next door also incurred damage, with flames melting its siding.
Along with Heller and Graff, a firefighter from Lyons Fire Company was also sent to Lehigh Valley Hospital, suffering from chest pains, Arndt said.
Arndt said the cause of the fire was unattended cooking in the kitchen. He credited the dog, which perished in the fire along with a cat, with helping to save the human residents of the home.
"We were really lucky we didn't have a fatality on our hands," he said.
Contact David Mekeel: 610-371-5014 or [email protected].
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