A smoke detector is credited for saving the life of a Venice woman and her dog Tuesday morning when her mobile home caught fire, fire officials said.
Shortly after 5 a.m., the owner of the home on Vista Road in the Venice Municipal Mobile Home Park, was awakened by her smoke detector. The 69-year-old and and her dog were able to escape the mobile home as it became engulfed in flames, officials said.
As Venice Police evacuated surrounding homes, a neighboring mobile home started to smoke from radiant heat from the original fire and was quickly extinguished.
Venice Fire Rescue, Venice Police, Nokomis Fire and Sarasota County Fire crews put the fire out in minutes. The homeowner was treated for minor injuries and released. The smoke detector was still chirping even after the blaze was extinguished, officials said.