Dog wakes man to suspected arson

A dog is being hailed as saving a man’s life after the canine alerted him to a suspicious fire at his Mataura house.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand specialist fire investigator John Smalls said the fire was lit from outside the house early Friday morning.

The fire was in the Argyle Street/ Kana street area of Mataura.

About 1am, the occupant’s dog alerted them to the fire and they were able to extinguish it while in its early stages.

"If it were left any longer it could have been fatal. It was a really lucky escape," Smalls said.

Smalls said the fire could have turned fatal had the fire caught and if the dog had not woken the owner up, who then acted quickly.

‘‘The time of day, the reckless act, the potential was there. It could have killed them.’’

Smalls said by the time the occupant was woken, the fire had not activated the smoke alarms that were in the house.

‘‘His dog woke him up, but it [the fire] didn’t set off the smoke alarm. It’s a good time of year to check your smoke alarms.’’

The fire was being treated as suspicious and the investigation had ruled out the potential for other natural fire causes or electrical faults, Smalls said.

Smalls said he wanted to stress that it was always a good idea to call the fire brigade, even if a fire was extinguished by occupants.

Calling in a fire would ensure everything was safe and the fire was properly extinguished, he said.

Gore police detective Leigh Waddell said the fire was extinguished before any serious harm or damage occurred.

‘‘The incident had potential to have been significantly worse and police would like to speak to anyone who may have seen anything.’’

Members of the public were urged to contact Gore police or Crimestoppers anonymously if they had any details about the fire.

‘‘If it were left any longer it could have been fatal. It was a really lucky escape.’’ John Smalls, Fire and Emergency NZ speialist fire investigator