Tennessee Rescue Dog Alerts Owner To House Fire On Fourth Of July, Saves Sleeping Neighbors

A family of three as well as their pets were saved from a house fire, thanks to their neighbor's rescue dog. Incidentally, one of the members of the family that the dog saved was instrumental in how he came to be rescued.

It was past 10 p.m. on the Fourth of July when three-year-old rescue dog, Roux, began "frantically and unusually" barking at the front door. When his owner, Jeff LeCates, opened the door for him, Roux reportedly sprinted out the door, straight to the neighbors' house, which was on fire.

LeCates then pounded on the neighbors' door, waking the family up and allowing them and their pets to escape unharmed.

Firefighters arrived at the scene at about 10:44 p.m. and confirmed, based on video evidence, that the fire had started outside the house about an hour after the homeowners disposed of consumer fireworks in the trash can.

As it happens, the woman who lives in the house and was saved from the fire because of Roux was the reason why the dog was adopted by LeCates in the first place. According to a news release from the Franklin City government, the woman is a dog groomer who was aware that LeCates had lost his German Shepherd and that Roux, a Belgian Malinois, needed a home.

She was the one who helped facilitate Roux's adoption 15 months ago.

Fourth Of July Fires

According to a June 2020 study released by the National Fire Protection Association, there were about 19,500 fires started by fireworks in the U.S. in 2018, causing 46 civilian injuries, five civilian deaths and $105 million in direct property damages.

From 2014 to 2018, over a quarter of firework-related fires were reported on the Fourth of July.

This year, for instance, despite the additional restrictions and precautions because of the coronavirus, many fires were still reported across the country. In San Francisco, for instance, the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) responded to 110 fire-related incidents just between 3 pm on Saturday (July 4) and 3 am on Sunday (July 5), the majority of which were caused by fireworks.

"Each year, fireworks injure thousands and cause thousands of fires," the report states. "Given the high risk of injury associated with consumer fireworks, it is safer to avoid them, and watch professional shows where available."