Dog saves man from deadly house fire

A CHARLEVILLE man has lauded the extraordinary efforts of his furry best mate after his hero pet dog alerted him to a raging fire that erupted in his home.

Emergency services rushed to the inferno at King St, Charleville, about 2.30am Sunday morning to find the home “fully involved”, with the property eventually collapsing.

Charleville acting fire inspector Michael Pignolet said the only person inside the King St home at the time said his dog warned him about the fire.

“He told me the dog smelt smoke and was going ballistic which woke him up, and the first thing he saw were flames coming out of the bathroom,” Inspector Pignolet said.

“The man was then focused on getting him and the dog out of the house, and went to the neighbours, and they called the fireys.

“He said the ‘dog saved my life’.”

Inspector Pignolet said the courageous actions of Charleville fire captain Brad Steer helped prevent a neighbouring home from a similar disaster.

“The flames were impinging on the neighbouring house, and there was a downwind which caused the home to start to catch alight,” he said.

“They were able to get their hoses down the side of the house, with their quick actions saving the property next door.”

A Toowoomba fire investigator declared the home was “too unsafe” to investigate after the residence collapsed.

This is the second fire in two months along the same stretch of road in Charleville which left a home badly damaged due to an electrical fire.

Inspector Pignolet said he believed this was merely a coincidence and wanted to stress to homeowners about having a safety plan in case of a fire.

The resident and his dog escaped the blaze uninjured.