Couple, two dogs escape fire at Canfield home

STAFF REPORT

CANFIELD — A couple and their two dogs escaped unscathed after a fire broke out in their 4409 Canfield Road home.

Don Hutchinson, Cardinal Joint Fire District deputy chief, said Debbie Watson and Michael Thomas were awakened by sirens just before 9 a.m. Sunday.

He said the home contained no smoke detectors.

“I just want to stress the importance of smoke detectors. They were asleep with their two dogs, and they heard the siren, and that’s what woke them up,” he said. “They were lucky that someone was driving by and called it in.”

Hutchinson said an investigation into the cause of the fire was completed Monday. It was determined it started in a fireplace in rear of the home.

“The fireplace started the fire, and it got into the wall,” he said. “It burned off the entire roof of the rear of the house.”

Hutchinson said the couple had been using the fireplace the night before. He said Thomas checked it at 6:30 Sunday morning and thought it was cooled.

Hutchinson said no one was injured, though firefighters had to rescue the couple and their dogs from inside the house.

“They were all in the bedroom,” he said. “Basically we had to help the owners get out because they were trying to save their dogs.”

The main body of the fire took about 30 minutes to extinguish, Hutchinson said.

He said damage is estimated at about $55,000.

The Austintown Fire Department assisted on the call.