London, Ont., fire officials are using an incident Thursday at a west London residential complex as a reminder for people to keep electronics, like power cords and battery packs, stored where pets can’t get them.
Fire crews responded to the scene at 320 Sugarcreek Trail, just northwest of Beaverbrook Avenue and Riverside Drive, around 3 p.m. July 23.
The call came in after the occupants of a unit at the address, who weren’t home at the time, were alerted to the fire by a home monitoring system, said Platoon Chief Gary Mosburger.
After making a forced entry into the unit through a patio door, Mosburger said firefighters located two dogs inside and managed to get them out.
The building’s sprinkler system held the fire at bay until firefighters arrived, he added.
It was later determined the blaze began when a battery pack, chewed up by the dogs, ignited the mattress it was sitting on.
The two pups have since been taken to a veterinarian, he said. “From what I’ve heard, everything seems to be fine with the dogs.”
The blaze caused mostly smoke damage — about $25,000 worth, fire officials say. That tally doesn’t include water damage left behind by the sprinklers and fire crews.