Two dogs woke an Erie man early today, alerting him to the fire filling his room with smoke so he could flee safely. One dog is still missing.
Mountain View Fire District received a call for help at 5:57 a.m., said Deputy Chief Steve Pischke. Firefighters leaving their station two miles from the home at 560 Pierce St. could see heavy flames that were shooting from a converted garage behind the house.
The man, who was sleeping on the second floor of the 20-by-40 garage, had escaped the fire after his two pit bulls woke him, said Pischke.
“He woke up and his room was very hot and filled with smoke. He turned on the light and saw smoke billowing through the floor,” said Pischke.
“He escaped with one of his dogs; the second dog is still missing.”
The man, who lives in the building behind his mother’s Pierce Street home, refused medical treatment and is fine.
A second garage to the south of the burning structure caught fire and was heavily damaged.
Another garage to the north wasn’t damaged.
The fire took down all but two walls of the building from which the man and dog escaped. “I am waiting for an investigation team to come in. At this point in time we have no idea as to its cause,” said Pischke.
Firefighters from Mountain View and Lafayette Fire Department responded to the fire.
Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
