Fire crews were called to the home in Landover Hill,
Maryland, early Wednesday morning. Firefighters say they had trouble getting to
one of the two people injured in the fire because the man's dog was standing
over him.
Firefighters tried to call the dog away from the man, but
the loyal pooch wouldn't budge. Firefighters eventually deployed a powder fire
extinguisher in the direction of the dog, giving them time to get the man out
of the house.
The dog was never aggressive towards the firefighters, Mark
Brady, a spokesman for the fire department, said.
Even after firefighters removed the man from the home, the
dog could be seen sitting next to his injured owner.
The victim's son says his father is expected to be okay.
The man's adult daughter also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
A dog, two turtles and several puppies inside the home were
removed safely. Animal control officers took the animals from the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire
officials do not believe the home had smoke detectors.
