A heroic service dog woke up his sleeping 58-year-old owner during a house fire on Monday night.
Capt. Andy Skaggs tells KGUN9 they received multiple calls to 9-1-1 to report a fire in the 5100 block of 23rd Street.
Police had been on a call a few houses down when they noticed smoke and an orange glow from home. The officers immediately ran to the house.
The occupant of the home was sleeping at the time but felt his service dog tugging on his arm trying to wake him. As the man was waking up, police made their way into the home to rescue him and his dog, said Skaggs.
Fire investigators were able to determine the fire was accidental in nature and caused by fireworks. This fire started in the grass, traveled to a shed, and then to the house, said Skaggs.
When police made the initial call, the fire was in the backyard. Five minutes later when firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had spread to the home.
If you do use the legal fireworks, always, always have adult supervision. Keep water close by and make sure the area is clear of any flammable materials.
Ten units and 27 firefighters controlled the fire 24 minutes after arriving on the scene.
No injuries were reported during the fire.
According to Sgt. Bay with Tucson Police, two teenagers are facing felony charges of criminal damage and endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of reckless burning.
The two teens were playing with sparklers in a nearby parking lot when one of the embers caught wind and started the house fire.
Police do not believe that the teens intentionally caused the fire.
