Dog hero at fire scene
Published: March 5, 2007
A pet dog helped alert a Unadilla family to a fire Sunday morning that destroyed its home and all of the belongings, according to Otsego County fire officials.
The 4:15 a.m. fire on Rogers Hollow Road had the potential to be a tragedy, said Otsego County Emergency Services Coordinator Lyle “Butch” Jones Jr. on Sunday night.
But Anthony Gardner, Caryn Seymour and 12-year-old Tori Seymour made it out of the house before it was engulfed, he said.
“Their dog, Jack, was the hero today,” Jones said. “It was a very close call.”
The family’s Labrador retriever was “fussing around” and woke the family, who then noticed the outside of the home was on fire, Jones said.
They also heard their next-door neighbor’s dogs barking, and that neighbor awoke and made sure the family got out safely, Jones said.
Gardner told investigators that smoke detectors inside the home were in working order but did not activate before the family was alerted, according to Jones.
The early-morning blaze at the recently purchased home was most likely sparked by a failure in the electricity input from a New York State Electric & Gas power line, Jones said.
The fire erupted on the outside of the home before spreading to the entire structure, he added.
“They’d just closed on the house Friday,” Jones said. “It was totaled.”
The family, which had lived in the home on a rental basis since the summer, had insurance, Jones said.
Sidney Fire Chief Sean Sands said nothing could be done to save the two-story home because the fire had spread so quickly.
“It was fully involved when we got on the scene,” Sands said.
The damage was so extensive, he said, that an excavator was brought in to knock down what was left of the home.
About 60 firefighters from Unadilla, Sidney, Mt. Upton, Bainbridge, Wells Bridge and Franklin responded to help fight the blaze.
Sands said he thinks the family is staying with relatives in Sidney, but they could not be located by The Daily Star on Sunday night.
“The Red Cross was there (Sunday) morning and gave them vouchers so they could get some clothes,” Jones said.
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