Dogs wake owner during house fire

Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Greencastle Fire Chief Bill Newgent pets Sam, a chocolate Labrador Retriever. Sam woke his owner, Bev Crawford, when a fire in her stove got out of hand and spread to a nearby wall.

MORTON -- A stove fire in Morton that got out of control caused between $4,000 and $5,000 in damage to a house located at 5177 N. C.R. 600W, estimated Greencastle fire chief Bill Newgent.

No one was seriously injured in the fire. Bev Crawford was in the house napping when the fire started, but her dogs -- Gunner, a Miniature Pinscher mix and Sam, a chocolate Labrador Retriever -- woke her.

"I don't usually take naps, but I just fell asleep," Crawford said.

Crawford said the dogs then barked continuously to wake her.

"The dogs saved my life," she said.

Crawford said that she was fine, besides some minor problems.

"The smoke got to me a little," Crawford said.

The call for the fire came in at 1:42 p.m. Newgent said that it was difficult to tell exactly what caused the fire.

"It may have been a crack in the flue," Newgent said. "It started between the wall and the stove. It traveled to the outside of the wall and engulfed (it.)"

The fire consumed the outside wall of the house and caused damage to the chimney, which necessitated it being knocked down.

"Whenever a chimney becomes super heated like that, it can crack the cement block and become unstable," said Newgent.

Newgent said the fire didn't take long to put out.

"Bainbridge (Fire Department) did a very good job on that," he said.

Newgent said that the wood stove was the only source of heat in the house. He suggested that Bev Crawford and her husband Todd Crawford stay somewhere else that night, but they said they had no where else to go. He contacted the Red Cross to aid the family.

Bev Crawford wasn't sure they would be able to stay elsewhere because of the dogs. She was considering staying at the home that night.

The house was left with a large hole in the wall that formerly held the chimney. The responding fire fighters were nailing tarps to that wall.

"We're just trying to protect their belongings from the elements," Newgent said.

The power to the house was also turned off, which Newgent said was a standard precaution after a fire.

Responding to the fire were representatives of the Bainbridge Fire Department, Clinton Township Rescue and Fire Department, Greencastle Fire Department and the Russellville Fire Department.

Sam, the Crawford's Chocolate Lab, was in the news for another reason recently- he was stuck on Glenn Flint Lake, until he was rescued.

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  • I sincerely hope the best for the Crawfords in that they get their home repaired from the fire. Thank God and the dogs for wakeing the woman of the house up. I only find one thing wrong with this artical. The chocolate lab,Sam, was not rescued by the Clinton Township Rescue and Fire Department. He was rescued by two men from Eminence and two residents of VanBibber Lake. And the persistance of a young lady resident also of VanBibber Lake.

    -- Posted by interestedperson on Wed, Dec 29, 2010, at 10:54 AM
  • There is not one thing wrong with this story. It never said that a fire dept. rescued the dog. It simply says: "Sam, the Crawford's Chocolate Lab, was in the news for another reason recently- he was stuck on Glenn Flint Lake, until he was rescued." Take a chill pill......

    -- Posted by BrutallyHonest on Wed, Dec 29, 2010, at 3:26 PM
  • I, too, heat my house with a wood stove. My home is over 100 years old. Back about 20 years ago,

    I had a problem with creosote leaking from the chimney in the attic.

    I had a stainless steel liner put in the chimney,

    it was expensive at the time, but I feel the expense was justified as it was much safer.

    Thank God no one was injured.

    -- Posted by mothersue on Thu, Dec 30, 2010, at 12:03 AM
  • Glad your allright Bev!

    -- Posted by lp_27 on Thu, Dec 30, 2010, at 6:37 AM
  • Excuse me BH, you need to pick up a printed copy of Wednesdays Banner Graphic.

    -- Posted by interestedperson on Fri, Dec 31, 2010, at 12:07 PM
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