‘The dogs saved everybody.’ Seattle family says pets alerted them to burning house

An electrical fire left a Seattle family with nothing. Luckily, they say, their dogs saved their lives.

Overheated extension cords sparked the house fireSunday, according to the Seattle Fire Department. The fire “engulfed” the two-story home of Paulette Jones and her seven family members, a GoFundMe campaign for the family says.

The fire destroyed their possessionsand could’ve taken their lives too if it weren’t for the help of their dogs, according to the fundraiser.

“Precious and PJ, Paulette’s two dogs, were able to alert the residents who were home at the time of the dangerous fire, and miraculously everyone inside the home at the time made it out safely,” the GoFundMe said. “But the family is still left picking up the pieces, and trying to make sense of everything that the fire did destroy.”

Several family members said they woke up because of the dogs, KIRO7 reported. The house was filled with smoke, but the family had no idea, the news outlet said.

The Seattle Fire Department responded to the “well involved fire” at about 11 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release. Firefighters extinguished the fire within 15 minutes of arriving but estimated the damage at $165,000.

“They’ve lost memories, keepsakes, clothes, toys, furniture, valuables, and much, much more,” the GoFundMe said.

None of the family members were inside the home when firefighters arrived. There were no injuries reported and the Red Cross was called to help the family, the fire department said.

“If the dogs hadn’t come downstairs, we wouldn’t have known anything,” Maurice Jones told KIRO7. “The dog saved everybody.

This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 2:49 PM with the headline "‘The dogs saved everybody.’ Seattle family says pets alerted them to burning house."