FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Firefighters came to the rescue of a dog after a fire ignited in the kitchen of a house in Fort Lauderdale, leaving a family of three displaced.
7News cameras captured Mia, her fur dark from smoke and soot, as she sat outside of the home, located in the area of Southwest 20th Street and Coral Gate Drive, Wednesday afternoon.
Homeowner Andrea Castano’s pet is lucky to be alive after the morning blaze.
“I left the house to take my stepdad to the hospital, and then I got an alert at 7:58 from my alarm system that my house — the fire alarm went off,” she said.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded to the home, at around 8 a.m., Wednesday.
Castano was able to unlock the doors remotely for FLFR.
“They think it’s in the kitchen, something shorted,” Castano said. “They’re not exactly sure. The kitchen was greatly affected. They said when they came in, it was actively on fire.”
Castano told crews Mia was still the house.
“She went all the way to the back of the house, went under the bed and hid under the bed,” Castano said, “so thankfully she was able to be saved.”
Crews were able to quickly extinguish the flames.
The dog was unharmed.
The kitchen, on the other hand, was a total loss.
“They took off the fire and went through my house, and [now] my house is unlivable,” Castano said.
According to the homeowners, the fire possibly started in the microwave, but FLFR is still investigating the cause.
The Castano family is taking the aftermath of the house fire in stride.
“Happy New Year to me,” Castano said and laughed.
The victims of the fire have all been displaced, but the American Red Cross is working to assist them with lodging for the next three days.
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