Dog Turns On Stove, Sets Home On Fire As Family Sleeps

A Colorado family got a terrifying awakening late last month after their dog accidentally set their home on fire.

Home security footage shared by the Colorado Springs Fire Department shows a dog standing on its hind legs and sniffing objects on the stovetop. The dog’s paw comes in contact with one of the stove knobs, which turns on one of the burners.

Additional video obtained by local TV station KKTV clearly shows the burner igniting boxes that had been placed on the stovetop.

Firefighters were called to the scene at about 4:45 a.m. on June 26, the department said. The homeowners were sleeping when the blaze broke out, but were woken up by a “high heat” alert from an Apple HomePod. When they got there, they found that one of the homeowners had been able to put out the fire himself.

A man was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation, though no other injuries to people or pets were reported. However, the home was significantly damaged and the family has been displaced, the department told USA Today.