Hero Dog Wakes Family As Vacaville Home Catches Fire

VACAVILLE (CBS13) — A dog truly is man's best friend.

Just after midnight last night, Vacaville officers and fire crews responded to reports of a house fire on Kinsale Court. But the real hero was already on the scene.

"Not all hero's wear capes," Dave Kuntz, with the Vacaville Fire Department, said. "This is one of those instances where it looks like the black lab is the hero in this deal." Said Dave Kuntz with the Vacaville Fire Department.

Maggie, the family of four's black labrador retriever, alerted her sleeping family of the flames building on the side of the house with quick-thinking barks and growls.

As Maggie's mom awoke, the sound of a cracking window rang through the home as the heat of the fire grew stronger, Vacaville police said.

At this point, the rest of the family was woken up and brought to safety by the two, police said. The cause of the fire is being blamed on oily rags that were stored in the back yard.

The fence between both homes in the vicinity was destroyed and the neighbors truck and shed scorched.

Neighbor Bernie Mandell said it's a good thing Maggie's barking allowed the family to get out safely because the fire was intense.

"My truck is melted and the heat from the fire caused two of my windows to crack," Mendell said.

Investigators say it could have been much worse if not for Maggie.

"Maybe it's not a bad idea to take a second look if you hear your dog running around in the middle of the night barking at something," Kuntz said.