A Belmont Street family was getting out of their burning home by the time firefighters arrived, but the family dog, it turned out, was still inside suffering from smoke inhalation. There were flames coming from the back of the house at 4:35 a.m. Wednesday when the Burlington Fire Department got to 1406 Belmont St., according to a department news release. That was two minutes after being dispatched.
The human occupants were evacuating, so firefighters searched for anyone else inside while working on the fire. The searchers found an unresponsive dog in the house and carried it outside. Burlington Police and firefighters treated it for smoke inhalation, and it regained consciousness.
The fire was under control in about 45 minutes. There were no injuries, but there was an estimated $35,000 in damage to the house and another $10,000 in damage to its contents. Investigators are looking for the cause of the fire.