A barking dog alerted a 13-year-old boy and his sister to a fire in his home late this morning in Byron, allowing them both to get out of the house safely before the entire structure burst into flames.
Byron Fire Chief John Durand said the house was already fully involved and a total loss before the first fire truck arrived.
"It had a big head start on us," Durand said.
The house is located at 6137 Merrill Road and is owned by William R. Causyn. His daughter, Heidi, and son, Tyler Walls, were in the house when the fire started.
"They heard the dog bark and then saw fire and smoke inside the laundry room," Durand said. "They called 911 and got out of the house."
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
About dozen fire companies from Genesee, Monroe, Orleans and Livingston counties responded to the scene. The large response was necessary in part because the house is not on a street with a hydrant system, so tanker trucks were needed to shuttle water to the fire.
Upon arriving at the scene, Bergen's Deputy Chief Paul Cummings (pictured, right) acted quickly to disconnect the house's propane tank and roll it away safely from the residence.
Cummings works for Suburban Propane.
"I wouldn't just have anybody do it, but I knew he knew what he was doing," Durand said.
As for Cummings' bit of heroics, Genesee County Emergency Coordinator Tim Yaeger said, "That's what we do."
No firefighters were injured during the incident.
Red Cross is on scene to assist the family.
Durand acknowledged the situation could have been a lot worse if the fire had erupted in the middle of the night.
"They were already up and about," Durand said. "It's not like if it was three o'clock in the morning and they had to get up and get dressed. There were able to get out as soon as somebody yelled 'fire.' At three o'clock in the morning, it's always possible it's a far different outcome."
UPDATE: We've added five pictures submitted by Ralf Kurzowski.
More pictures after the jump:
The following pictures were submitted by Ralf Kurzowski.
The important thing was
The important thing was successful everyone made it out uninjured and the fire was extinguished with out any injuries. Do we know if the dog made it out?
Chief Durand did not know.
Chief Durand did not know.
I am glad the kids got out
I am glad the kids got out and nobody got hurt, the volunteer fire crews in this community deserve the highest accolades!!!
Yes Gary, they do. The "paid"
Yes Gary, they do. The "paid" firefighters also do a terrific job. Thank you to all of them.