A family in Port Hope, Ont., credits a neighbour’s dog for alerting them of a house fire early Sunday.
According to Michael Lefebvre, around 3:30 a.m. he and his wife were woken by their dog Zoe. Lefebvre assumed the white bichon wanted to go outside to go to the bathroom.
However, when outside he says the dog didn’t go to the bathroom but instead began whimpering and pacing. He says that’s when his wife noticed smoke pouring out of the neighbour’s garage on Highland Drive.
Lefebvre says his wife called 911 while he ran next door to check on the family.
“I think our dog either smelled something from the house or the smoke coming out of it and she obviously was agitated, for whatever reason,” said Lefebvre.
Lefebvre’s knocking on the front door woke up Geoff Boon, who says he quickly scrambled with his wife Kathy and their two sons (ages seven and 12) to get out of the house.
“There wasn’t any time to get anything,” said Boon.
Flames inside the detached garage quickly spread to the house, which Boon said was undergoing renovations for new siding. He said one bedroom and the roof have sustained significant damage.
Boon says he’s thankful for Lefebvre’s quick actions since the smoke detectors didn’t activate inside his home, which was built in 1880.
“We’ve very grateful to the neighbours,” said Boon. “We consider the dog saving our lives.”
Municipality of Port Hope Fire Services acting fire chief Dan Smith on Monday said the garage was destroyed while the house is not considered a total loss, but does have smoke damage. The initial damage estimate is $300,000, said Smith.
Boon noted his “workshop” also contained an assortment of tools and two snowmobiles. He said he was last inside the garage at 9 p.m. Saturday.
On Sunday afternoon he said his family was “feeling” numb about the ordeal.
“But we’ll get over it and we’ll move ahead,” he said. “You can only look ahead, no sense in looking back now. It’s done — what’s done is done.”
Boon also thanked the community for donations of clothes and food and other items. He and his sons will stay at a Cobourg hotel in the interim.
“We lost everything but not even 12 hours later, it’s amazing the outpouring of support from the community that we’re getting,” said Boon. “It’s quite amazing how people are stepping up. We both grew up here. That’s the nice thing about a small town.”
To help the Boon family, contact Kathy Dawson 905-243-5384.
UPDATE: Late Monday afternoon, Smith said the cause of the fire has been deemed electrical in nature.
— More to come.
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