Dog alerts owner to morning fire in Northfield

NORTHFIELD — A man was able to escape a two-alarm fire in his home early Sunday morning thanks to being awakened by his dog.

Tilton-Northfield Fire Department was notified of a fire at 50 Mount Tugg Road, in Northfield, at 2:10 a.m. on Sept. 25. Responding fire crews found a two-story, single-family home with smoke and fire coming from the second floor. Firefighters were able to knock back the fire and contain the damage to a single room on the second floor. The cause of the fire is thought to be from electrical wiring.

Chief Michael Sitar Jr. said there was one resident of the home, a man who was sleeping on a couch at the time that the fire started. Although smoke detectors were sounding, it was his dog that was able to rouse him.

"The dog licked him in the face and woke him up – if the dog didn't do that, he probably wouldn't have got out," said Sitar. "He saw that the situation was pretty bad, so he went to the neighbor's house and called 911."

The dog also escaped the fire.

Sitar said the room where the fire started was heavily damaged, but he thought the building would be salvageable as the rest of the structure was intact. He did not know whether the resident had found a place to stay.

The address of the home is listed as the location of J.S. Logging, owned by Jonathan Stankatis. Attempts to reach Stankatis were unsuccessful.

– Adam Drapcho