Puppy saves three people from fire

Three people escaped a fire at their home early yesterday morning thanks to their brand new puppy.

Poncho, a dog they were given as a gift just three days ago, woke the residents up in enough time for them to get out of their burning house in the 600 block of Milburn Avenue. "Best dog we've had so far, I guess," resident Jeff Adams says.

Firefighters showed up a short time later to put out the flames, but the home still suffered extensive damage.



Authorities are calling the fire suspicious because they say it started on the front porch of the vacant half of the duplex.

It took firefighters a little longer to get to the fire because the first address they were given was on the other side of Keowee Street. They had to cut across the grass to get to the right house. They were still able to save Spectracam, the business next door, from any damage.

While it's nice the dog had its day, fire officials say it would have been better if the family had smoke detectors inside. "Smoke detectors are better than dog detectors," District Chief David Grahl says. "Nothing against dogs."

With news video.