Hungry dog starts Bristol fire alert
A hungry dog managed to switch a cooker on in the middle of the night – filling a Bristol house with smoke and nearly starting a fire.
When Toby the six-year-old springer spaniel jumped on top of the oven to polish off some leftover sweet and sour chicken left out on the side, he appears to have accidentally turned on two of the electric hob rings.
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At 4.15am yesterday morning his owner, Rachel Johnson, was woken by her smoke alarm and went downstairs to see what was going on.
The kitchen and living room of her home, in Market Square, Fishponds, were full of grey wispy smoke which was coming from the hob – and Toby was hanging his head guiltily.
She noticed the hob rings were on, turned them off and opened all the windows and doors before waking up her 16-year-old son and two friends that were staying.
Council worker Rachel, 42, said: "I had come home at about 12.30pm and had a cup of tea in the kitchen, so I know the hob was not on then. It is so lucky the smoke alarm went off.
"If it hadn't, we think a fire would have soon started, and I don't know if we would have woken up."
She added: "I knew straight away it was Toby. I always shut him and my other dog Molly in the kitchen overnight.
"Molly is 14 and a little old lady, but Toby is very hyper and quite easily jumps on to the kitchen surface if he spots some food."
When fire crews arrived, they found that the heat from the rings had scorched the wooden structure under the hob.
Rachel, who has lived in the house for 20 years, also blamed the metal caps she puts on the hob rings for the problem.
"Ironically, I have always put these caps on top of the hob rings because when my children were younger it would stop them burning themselves, if the hob rings were hot after being used," she said.
"I'll never use them again and would like to warn anyone else who has them not to use them. I am sure if they hadn't been on, the heat wouldn't have been forced back down and scorched everything."
Toby appears to be unscathed by the incident, and everyone in the house got out safely.
Rachel urged anyone without a smoke alarm to get one and said: "If you do have one make sure you check it regularly. I used to check mine once every three months but now I will do it much more often."
Avon Fire and Rescue spokesman James Bladon said a more serious incident was avoided thanks to the correct positioning of a functioning smoke alarm.
8 Comments
by James Davenport-Batt CLIFTON, Clifton, Bristol
Monday, October 12 2009, 8:27PM
“Ref: Bruce, Up your billabng mate
Bruce if you¿re Australian I have a joke.
Question---What¿s the difference between Australia and a bath tub full of Yogurt????
Answer---Eventually yogurt forms a culture.”
by Bruce, Up your billabng mate
Monday, October 12 2009, 1:28PM
“Malc- Dont you get a reaction at home or at work? Feeling a bit insecure? Feeeeeling a wee bit useless? That your life has passed you buy and you have achieved the square root of f'all?
This isnt good Malc. Dr Bruce says what you need to do is go on a silly local newspaper website and insult strangers for no reason. It will make you look big and clever and not at all like a complete tw@ like in your real life.
If that was my sister, daughter, mum, g/friend, wife you were insulting for no reason I would track you down and give you a Brucie Bonus, and trust me you wouldnt like it.”
by Malc P, Durban
Monday, October 12 2009, 12:04PM
“They say owners end up looking like their dogs, she is living proof. Ruff Ruff”
by Jerry, Eastville
Monday, October 12 2009, 10:41AM
“Her was her dog was it?
Nothing to do with 3 children being left in the house?”
by Steven, Bristol
Monday, October 12 2009, 10:39AM
“How revolting is leaving out leftover food? The woman concerned should be charged for wasting fire service time by her filthy actions.”
by richard, bristol
Monday, October 12 2009, 9:49AM
“surely this dog is dangerous and should be put down.”
by The Lone Gunman, Ashtonville
Monday, October 12 2009, 9:41AM
“Do yourself a vavor ¿Honey¿ shoot the dawg!”
by Malc P, Durban
Monday, October 12 2009, 7:40AM
“Rachel, who has lived in the house for 20 years, also blamed the metal caps she puts on the hob rings for the problem.
The problem is you love, you are the lazy bones that left food uncovered in the kitchen for your mutt to scoff on. Jumping up on a work surface usually utilized for food preparation is slightly unhygienic. Forget the hob rings, slacker”