CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A dog’s persistence helped a Tennessee family escape a house fire on Tuesday, authorities said.
According to a Facebook post from the Chattanooga Fire Department, the family’s pet, named Jack, noticed that the family’s home in the East Lake neighborhood of the city had caught fire.
As smoke and flames raged, the dog went to his owner and began licking his face, waking the man up.
Realizing the house was on fire, Jack’s owner rushed to get the other family members out of the residence, WDEF-TV reported.
An off-duty firefighter from Walker County called 911 at about 8:20 a.m. EST to report the fire, according to the television station.
East Lake is an older neighborhood in the southern portion of Chattanooga, with many wooden structures.
Smoke from the fire could be seen for several miles, and firefighters found flames engulfing the home and rising more than 15 feet in places, WTVC reported.
“There were multiple small explosions from the burning contents,” the fire department wrote on Facebook. It took several hours for firefighters to get the blaze under control.
HAPPENING NOW: A residential fire off of Jerome Avenue near Rossville Blvd. crews from @ChattFireDeptand @ChattanoogaPDare on scene. No cause has yet been shared. We will keep you updated @newschannelnine pic.twitter.com/mTkS2TiFfT
— Logan Stapleton (@LStaple10) November 7, 2023
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the fire department wrote.
There were no injuries, and family members credited Jack for helping them escape, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.
