Advertisement

'Truly amazing' dog with loud bark saves dad and daughter from house fire

Midnight the dog alerted his owners to a fire in their flat. (Reach)
Midnight the dog alerted his owners to a fire in their flat. (Reach)

A small dog has saved the lives of a father and daughter during a house fire.

Midnight, a five-year-old Japanese Chin/terrier cross, raised the alarm as flames spread through a home in Hull on Saturday morning.

The occupants were asleep in the terraced house in Granchester Close when the blaze took hold.

But Midnight alerted them to the fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, by barking loud enough to wake them up.

Read more: First picture of teen, 15, stabbed on way to school in London

The dog woke up the father in the living room, then ran into the daughter’s room to bark her into waking up too.

The man’s other daughter, who does not live in the property and wishes to remain anonymous, said: “People don’t realise what happened in there and how truly amazing Midnight has been.

A dog saved a father and daughter by barking during a house fire. (Reach)
A dog saved a father and daughter by barking during a house fire. (Reach)

“He is a tiny dog but he is loud and managed to save both their lives.

“It started in the living room where my dad was sleeping while my sister was in the bedroom.

“Midnight woke up my dad who realised flames were almost touching him.

Watch: Family dog saves owner having a seizure by stopping traffic for help

“He could not get out by going downstairs so he had to smash a window at the back and dropped himself down from the first floor.

“But Midnight then went to my sister’s room. He had to bark right in her face as she had only just gone to sleep.

“When she woke up she tried to find my dad but he had already got out and she managed to get out downstairs.

“There is no doubt Midnight saved their lives.”

Midnight raised the alarm by barking at his owners as they slept. (Reach)
Midnight raised the alarm by barking at his owners as they slept. (Reach)
The property in Hull was gutted by the fire. (Reach)
The property in Hull was gutted by the fire. (Reach)

She said her father suffered from smoke inhalation and had to be put in an induced coma in hospital to be examined, but is now awake and recovering.

She said her sister suffered minor burns.

The other daughter said firefighters managed to retrieve pet tropical fish from the flat, but that the rest of the home has been “gutted”.

She said: “They have literally lost everything.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.

Read more: Lambs left slaughtered in a pile in 'terrible and despicable act'

Neighbours either side of the property had to be evacuated because of the blaze.

One said: "We were woken up by banging and then saw all this smoke, I just thought we had to get out because I didn't know what was happening.

"We came out and there were lots of people outside. We didn't see the fire itself but only the aftermath but there was a lot of smoke.”

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said: "There was a fire in first floor and the flat was 100% destroyed by fire heat and smoke.

"The fire spread into the loft causing damage to the joists.

"We used two breathing apparatus, one hose reel and a covering jet.

"An adult female occupier suffered slight burns and the male occupier suffered smoke inhalation. Both casualties were. taken to hospital by ambulance.”

Watch: Hero dog saves fellow pooch from drowning in backyard swimming pool in South Africa